To Be Queen
by sapphyreangel
Summary: A new world born from the ashes of the old Magical Britain, Daphne finds herself as one of the many Consorts of the new emperor. Determined not to be forgotten, she is determined to rise among the ranks to become the first Queen Consort of the Potter reign. Main pairing - Daphne/Harry but with Harry/Harem as well.
1. The Emperor's Harem

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything that goes with it does not belong to me! -sobs-

I've been on a Daphne/Harry kick for ages. I won't read anything else and it's driving me a little mad because I've got piles of books waiting to be devoured and all I can think is that it isn't Harry/Daphne. I've always hated Ginny - she had little face time with Harry and she gets to marry Harry coz she's a Weasley and looks a bit like his mom? Pretty sleazy really.

Aaaand I've gone off-track. This isn't a sole Harry/Daphne. This is Harry and Daphne but within a harem sort of setting. Does that make sense? Crap, the lack of sleep is making me confused. I've never posted a HP story because I've always been a little overwhelmed by some of the awesome stories I've read but my birthday's coming up so I decided I had to put up the Harry/Daphne story that I've been scribbling about over the last few weeks - so please be nice when reviewing!

* * *

_My name is Daphne Greengrass. I am a pureblood witch with an enviable family history and lineage. I am one of the last of House Greengrass. I am from Slytherin. I graduated in the top ten of my year. I survived the Purge. I am a proud citizen of the New World. I am twenty four years old and tomorrow I will become Queen Consort._

I can imagine the confusion for most – the Purge was recently dubbed so but it does not excuse one from not knowing. It was a blood-spattered piece of history of the then magical United Kingdom but nevertheless it brought us to today's New Britain for the magical world.

My husband, the Emperor of New Britain, was prophesised to be the leader of the new world in our fifth year by the Seer, Luna Lovegood. It has become so famous that a plaque was erected in Diagon Alley with Luna's prophecy inscribed on it.

Child of Fate, born as Hope  
Change thee world he belongs  
And claim thy rightful throne.  
The Seventh borne him  
To rule over thy Kingdom  
Like Fyre he will rise  
And bring New Britain to a Golden Age.

Yes, it is true. My husband is Emperor Harry James Potter. He defeated the self-styled Lord Voldemort in his sixth year at Hogwarts – nobody uses He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who anymore. In his final year in Hogwarts, he spent most of his time on the upcoming Magical Revolution and subsequently the Purge.

In history books it is recorded that Magical Britain suffered from two civil wars in the 1990s. While it is somewhat true, the second civil war was more of a formality than a real war. The Magical Revolution was fast and efficient. Within twelve days, the Ministry of Magic and its staunch traditionalists and corrupted civil servants were all demolished and the Potter reign of New Britain began.

The many families were soon elevated or demoted according to rank. My father, Cyril Greengrass, had stayed neutral in the first war and pledged his assistance and allegiance to Emperor Harry during the second, was re-christened Lord Cyril of House Greengrass. Many Houses were re-christened or created in the first month of Emperor Harry's reign but for many, it was a surprise that neither of Emperor Harry's now-former best friends, Granger or Weasley, were given one.

On my eighteenth year, announcements were made that the establishment of Emperor Harry's harem would begin taking in applications for concubines. My father, in his bid for more power, had secured a position for me. Thus ended my role of Greengrass heiress and also began my hurried education as Emperor Harry's concubine.

It was strange to meet the young man and greet him as Emperor when just a few years ago, he was just a scrawny, quiet orphaned boy. The young man I bowed to oozed confidence and power and I knew I had to make sure that I would one day, become his Queen.

The harem was small – there were only nine of us. Luna Lovegood, a friend of Harry's turned concubine; Susan Bones, the Bones heiress whose aunt had perished in the war against Voldemort; Lavinia Vaisey, a Slytherin two years my senior; Cornelia Winters, a pretty, demure witch from Ravenclaw; Fleur Delacour, the French Beauxbatons quarter-Veela; Anna Mirfield, a Gryffindor senior of Harry's; Amber Noel, a pretty Gryffindor the same age as Lovegood; Nymphadora Tonks, a descendant of House Black and myself.

We were assigned individual rooms in west wing of Potter Castle. Thankfully we were not made to share – just in case Lord Potter-Black, as we were to address him unless stated otherwise, fancied a visit to any of the girls. There were more than ten empty rooms for future concubines and many suites for the favoured ones but it was an unspoken fact that they would eventually be in use.

Nymphadora Tonks and Cornelia Winters were given the honorary role of co-House Mothers in deference to their age but both seldom needed to exercise that role. We were strangers for the most part and nobody wanted to test the waters while we figured our place in the pecking order.

"Do you notice something?" Lavinia whispered to me one afternoon.

Despite what many believed, Slytherins were still human and I had obviously missed something. "What do you mean?"

In Slytherin, we often had to play political and mind games but here, Lavinia was my only friend and vice versa – if we could not tentatively trust each other, we had no one.

"All of these girls are purebloods or half-bloods of some importance. There are no mudbloods." Lavinia muttered, watching the others carefully.

Women like Nymphadora, Fleur, Anna and Luna, were very vocal against such terms and even Cornelia expressed her disgust as she considered it foul and beneath women to use those words. Lavinia had openly expressed her dislike against the muggleborn and muggle once, only to receive a tongue-lashing from both House Mothers – she never spoke of her disdain of them aloud again.

It was like a tale in a story book. The harem was to be kept away from men except from occasional visits by families and even then those would be far and few from what I could deduce. The first month was quiet simply because Lady Narcissa Black-Malfoy felt that we were not ready to be presented.

Narcissa Black-Malfoy was yet another enigma. Apparently her actions against the Dark Lord was well-received by Emperor Harry and she was welcomed back to the Black family. When the time came for Judgment, Lucius and Draco Malfoy had been somewhat left alone aside from their lack of invitation to Emperor Harry's court. It spoke volumes that Lady Narcissa Black-Malfoy stood as the Lady in charge of Emperor Harry's harem but without her husband or family being granted similar boons.

Our first meeting was terribly formal. We were woken early to prepare for a late morning meeting with Emperor Harry. It was clear on Amber and Cornelia's faces that they were terrified. Aside from Nymphadora, Luna and to a certain extent Fleur, none of us had met Harry in person before and it did not make it any easier that our first meeting would be in front of Emperor Harry's Court.

* * *

I still remember my first time meeting Emperor Harry. The Grand Hall was just as large as the Hogwarts' Great Hall. On the left side was full of important Lords and Ladies of the court, with stone and wood benches littering the alcoves and up against walls.

On the right nearer the back of the Hall were two tables parallel to one another with maps and scrolls upon them – men like Lord Sirius Black, Lord William and George Weasleys, Lord Neville Longbottom and Director Alastor Moody were solemn-faced as they waved their wands, banishing everything on the tables.

The front half of the right was empty but there were cushioned seats, throw pillows and two round tables tastefully arranged and a veil of star-patterned fabric hung from the ceiling, waiting to be released. That was to be our seating whenever Emperor Harry wanted us present or when there were important trials ongoing. There was a faint tingle of magic around it – Lady Narcissa had explained to us that Emperor Harry and Lord William Weasley had worked on its protection for over a week before it was deemed ready.

Lady Narcissa was at the front and in her element. It was no secret that she adored being in the public eye and as Lady Mistress of the Harem, she would constantly be in the spotlight as the court watched for the rising Queen Consort.

"My beloved Emperor Harry, may I present your fine lady Consorts?"

I stood tall but kept my eyes down. We were to be presented individually starting with Cornelia. Cornelia and Lavinia were quickly introduced and dismissed back into rank. Nymphadora and Luna were granted a smile as they kissed the rings on his right hand. There was a quick flash of emotion when the two girls had done it but I was not familiar with him then to have recognized it. Fleur Delacour and Amber went in short order and it was my turn.

"Mistress Daphne Greengrass of the House Greengrass."

Like the others, I had curtseyed but deeply while tilting my head forward slightly to allow my fringe to fall forward and cover part of my right eye. "Your majesty," I murmured, loud enough for just both of us, before allowing him to take a good look at me.

Clearly I had made an impression, for his eyes were inquisitive. He gestured for me to stand. Stepping forward, I took his hand to bestow a kiss. I stepped back and curtseyed deeply once more before returning to the line.

Slightly in awe, Anna's presentation was just as quick as the first few. From there, we were dismissed to the large seating area which was quickly dubbed the Harem Corner by the rather enthusiastic Amber. We sat in quiet contemplation after Lady Narcissa had curtly told them that Emperor Harry would stop by when he was done with his subordinates.

The curtains proved to be more than a semi-translucent screen when a curious member of the court came up and tried to pry the curtains open. We were amused to see the culprit was unceremoniously blasted away in full view of the court.

"Emperor Harry," Lady Narcissa returned and announced her king's presence.

We rose quickly and bowed before quickly rising, all of us scattered across the room. Emperor Harry appraised us individually before he gestured for us to sit down and he started talking.

"This harem was created for two purposes. One is for the political aspects which explains why some of you to represent your families. The other is obviously biological. I am a king and I am the sole heir of many Houses – each of them needing their own heir.

His mouth twitched into an almost-smile, "I know some of you must wonder why there are so few of you when many families would have willingly sent their women. I am not one to hide behind lies so I will tell you the truth.

"The nine of you have been chosen to become my Consorts. You will be considered above the concubines – the other women who will join the harem; and nearly equal rights as my Queen Consort. That being said, one of you will become Queen Consort within the next few years. Until then you are all sister wives, as Lord Black puts it, and I expect you to be every ounce of a Queen-worthy Consort because there will be people watching your every step."

He stopped and glanced almost pityingly at the shaken looks on Amber and Susan's faces. "I may be the Emperor but I am not cruel. If you do not wish to be part of this, you are free to leave now. This is a permanent position – until death parts us, you are bound to me and I will grant you as much love and respect I, as a human being, can give."

There was a white glow around him for a moment. Cornelia gaped at the young man – it was unheard of for an unofficial vow to take form but Harry had done it.

"I will like to get to know each of you over the next few weeks. I assure you for the next year or so, there will be no additions to this harem unless it is to replace a Consort."

With that, he nodded to Nymphadora and Luna before he left the Harem Corner. My first meeting of Emperor Harry and I had come away not learning anything useful to help me become the Queen Consort.


	2. The Nine Consorts

I had actually wanted to post this up on my birthday but I was a mite busy with other stuff. That aside I know I should space out my postings because I have absolutely nothing written for the next chapter but that's the fun bit ain't it?

Ikarus Solotuv - I've been reading a lot of my friend's historical romances and its rubbed off me so I thought I try my hand at writing one, hopefully I won't screw this up.

Andrigno - Thank you. I actually dreamed a part of the first chapter and it took off from there.

Wes - I like writing that bit a lot actually because I feel friendships borne out of such situations are actually very interesting. I have some friends that ordinarily wouldn't give me the time of the day and vice versa except that we're in the same classes and we need each other for notes and classwork, I patterned Lavinia and Daphne's friendship to mimic that.

sanbeegoldiewhitey - I just find it weird how Ron and Ginny managed to hook up with Hermione and Harry respectively - it boggles the mind really. I actually haven't given much thought about why Ron and Hermione aren't with Harry but I'll figure something out. And it's pretty self-explanatory why I didn't put Ginny as a consort.

Rampaging crabs - Yay! I wish there were more Harry/Daphne stories around. I'll read like the eight or so that I like, scroll the latest updates for decent ones then go back to the few I like. I neeeeeeeeeeed my Harry/Daphne fix so bad.

bleacher - thanks?

Mick-Ann - here's chapter two then. :)

fat ppl are harder to kidnap - Betrayal can cover a lot of ground. I think the best way I can put it is that Hermione has betrayed Harry but not in the usual ways that I've seen in a lot of stories. :)

I'm really flattered that so many people have favourite-d (does that even make sense?) and put a story alert on my story. It was meant more for my amusement as I thought it would be a story that would fly under most people's radar. So I'm just gonna be shameless and ask that you spare a minute or two or five to leave a review because I really would appreciate the feedback - whether to tell me my story's not making sense or if you think some part was particularly poignant. Yeah, in short, PLEASE REVIEW! :D

* * *

_Nine women were chosen to be the Emperor's wives in a nod to old traditions of multiple wives representing the ability to afford and maintain a large household. All the wives' children are to be considered legal offspring of the Emperor with only the children of the Queen Consort being held in the highest esteem._

_The first rule of being a Consort was to never show dissention in the ranks. The sister-wives, a term put forth by the Lord Sirius Black, were to be the backbone of the Royal family. The one point Lady Black-Malfoy constantly cautioned against was that we were never to reveal any unhappiness in our family unit, especially in front of the court._

The first week, Harry had spent time with both Luna and Nymphadora, both whom he was obviously familiar and comfortable with. It was clear that Amber, Cornelia and Lavinia were rather put out that he had gone to those he was familiar with but I was happy to bide my time.

It was to everyone's surprise that instead of picking Susan or Amber as his third wife to visit, he chose to visit me in my room in the second week.

"Daphne Greengrass."

I gripped my book a little tighter than usual but I was certain that I had not given away any facial cues. I bowed subserviently, "My lord."

Harry was seated at the armchair by the fire place. As Consorts, we were given the two bedroom suites on the second floor. The second room, Lady Narcissa had explained, would be set up as the nursery for our future children but in the meantime, we were free to use them as we pleased. Although I had set it up like a study, my preferred seat was the armchair in the sitting room by the brick fireplace. Apparently Harry felt the same.

"Daphne Greengrass, daughter and heiress of House Greengrass. Sorted into Slytherin in 1991, you graduated 8th in class in 1998. That is the extent of what I know about you, Daphne. That is pretty sad for my wife of sorts," He gave a lazy grin.

I sat down on the loveseat across from him. Despite my wanting to become the Queen Consort, I knew nothing about the man I needed to convince to make me his Queen either.

"I don't know much about you either, Lord Harry."

Harry's grin widened. "Then let us have a picnic and get acquainted."

He stood up, brushed the wrinkles out of his pants and offered me his arm. "Shall we?"

I couldn't help it. Despite all the glory and power he had achieved and all the suffering he had gone through, Harry Potter-Black was still boyishly charming and it was infectious. I granted him a warm smile and took his arm.

It would be worth it in the end, I told myself, and by making sure I was the perfect companion to Emperor Harry, I would be Queen and my offspring would go on to be great leaders of the Magical world. I would not allow myself to fail.

A picnic in Emperor Harry's world was much different than one would imagine. One would think it would only involve the two of us and a handful of discreetly placed guards but if only it were. Lord Longbottom and his wife, the Lady Hannah Longbottom, had joined us for a quick cup of tea before departing. Lord Amos Diggory had bowed at Emperor Harry before continuing on his way. A gaggle of court ladies had tried to approach our picnic but were stopped by two of the guards and escorted away from the area.

"Being on top of the food chain is not what quite it seems, is it Daphne?" He had asked her.

"I would have thought being the Boy-Who-Lived and the Man-Who-Conquered would have prepared you for this, my lord."

Harry looked a bit wistful; I would have wagered he was remembering a more innocent time. "No. Not really. You can never prepare yourself for anything. But you will learn how to deal with it. Do you wish to take a walk round the gardens?"

The shutters had come down. His entire body language was guarded. He may have been the Emperor but he was still the same Muggle-raised boy trying to fit in the Wizarding world that he had come to know about eight years ago, that momentary drop of his guard had shown me that much.

There was no point in continuing that conversation as it would only serve to push Harry away when I needed to get to know him more. I let him guide me around the beautiful north gardens before he escorted me back to the Harem wing.

"Thank you for arranging such a beautiful picnic," I found myself telling him.

The half-sheepish, half-pleased grin of his made me smile back at him. "And thank you for being my beautiful date, Daphne."

* * *

It was clear by the time Samhain came round that Luna was the front runner in our race to become Queen Consort. A beautiful bouquet had arrived with a box and envelope for her one afternoon and thanks to Susan's ribbing, Luna had opened the letter and read it out loud for the rest of us.

It had been an official invitation for Luna to be Harry's formal escort for the Samhain dinner and ball. Amber and Susan were obviously thrilled for the blonde girl but it had not escaped the older women that they were obviously lagging behind the quirky, somewhat odd girl.

Daphne had been surprised when she entered Lavinia's room only to hear a slight sobbing. Lavinia had confided to Daphne in shuddering breaths that she feared that Harry's lack of interest would end badly for her.

Lavinia, while a pretty girl and a decently powered witch, simply lacked the chemistry that Harry had shared with the others. The only other girls whom Harry preferred not to seek out were Amber and Cornelia but it was inevitable that Harry would take them to his bed as it were – if only to prove his fertility and for the woman; to hope for her family's betterment with every child they gave Emperor Harry.

She had tried to console the older witch but when that failed, she ordered one of the Harem's house elves to watch over Lavinia and to report any hysterics to Lady Narcissa or Cornelia.

Striding out, she noticed Nym (Emperor Harry had taken to calling Nymphadora 'Nym' and it became her nickname afterwards), Fleur and Anna quietly conversing and Daphne decided to join them. Although it had been nearly three months since the harem had been established, the girls had tentative friendships among themselves. It was only with Lavinia temporarily out of the picture, Daphne had realized she had shut herself out from gaining allies from her sisterhood.

"May I join you?"

Anna had a look of indifference on her face and Fleur had simply given her usual charming shrug but Nym had smiled and nodded, waving Daphne to the empty seat on her left.

"Tonight is the first night the court will see the harem at a social gathering," Nym tried to bring Daphne up to speed on their conversation, "I was telling Anna that maybe we should stick in small groups so that some of the court ladies can join us but at the same time show that we are together."

"Ze court can be rah-zer vicious," Fleur added.

Daphne nodded. When she was a young girl, she had attended the Yule and Beltane celebrations with her family. It was not because her parents wished to spend time with their daughters but rather it was a moment that required them to display their family and wealth. While the court was recently formed with dark, light and grey witches and wizards all who had thrown their support behind Emperor Harry during the Revolution, Daphne highly doubted that the protocol had changed. The reign would not have stopped the viciousness and pettiness of the politicking masses. Although his becoming Emperor had put Lord Harry above it, they, the Consorts, would be under much scrutiny and gossip.

"Is Lord Harry visiting tonight?" Daphne asked.

Anna blushed. It was still an awkward bit of conversation but every few days, Harry would spend the night at the Harem wing – while nobody had admitted to him staying overnight in their rooms, it was eventually going to happen.

Nym laughed at Anna's reaction before looking around for Cornelia, who disliked such improper topics. "I think so. Lady Narcissa did mention that Lord Harry will be busy this weekend so he'll be visiting today and tomorrow."

"If you ask me, Cornelia and Lavinia should be worried – their families are depending on Harry's goodwill and a baby would definitely be the best way they can get it," Anna was obviously not impressed with either of the two witches.

"There is still time. We have only been his consorts for three months," Daphne pointed out.

Anna gave her a pitying look that had her bristling inwardly. "The honeymoon period is over – at least for them. If any of the other girls give Lord Harry a son, and mind you there will be a baby this time next year, he will have even less reason to visit them. Their families are depending on them to ensure that even if they never become Queen Consort, a baby would give them some security."

To Daphne's surprise, Fleur nodded in agreement. "I haf to agree with Anna. Muh fazzer 'as told me that Lavinia's family is nearly bankrupt. If Lavinia is with child, ze Vaiseys will benefit. It is a pity that she cannot rise up beyond being a House Mother. Amber and Susan are just as bad. Zey constantly need instruction and they are easily satisfied with their lot. Lord Harry's partner cannot be as an empty headed chit or weak-willed as zey are."

"At least some of you are using your brains," a cool tone broke into their conversation.

The four women looked up to the collected face of Lady Narcissa. "The Queen consort is a coveted role but Emperor Harry is the first monarch of New Britain – there is no precedence and therefore any girl is eligible for that role. The nine of you have been given the opportunity to snare his affections before this wing is filled with silly girls with families looking to trade up.

"There is a reason why nine of you have been selected instead of girls that Emperor Harry has been familiar with over his years at Hogwarts. You are the cream of the crop of pureblood society for one reason or another, I hope you are making the best of this blessing you have been given."

As she watched the older woman head towards the stairs, Daphne was certain that she needed more information than she currently had and there was only one person who would have the lowdown. In two days' time, she would be attending her first ball as Emperor Harry's Consort and she would keep her eyes peeled for Blaise Zabini. After all, her future depended on it.


	3. The First Step

So it's holiday time for me and I had time to bang out a new chapter! It's a little on the short side because I realized the original chapter 3 had such a large gap from chapter 2 and I needed to explain some things before continuing. So basically what chapter 3 is a filler chappie but it is good practice because I Am Book Ninja noted that I have this issue about jumping back and forth first and third person. Hopefully I have not made any mistakes in this chapter. :)

Aaron Leach - Thanks :)

Rampaging crabs - Yes. And the worst part is that the girls cannot be confrontational because of their handlers so I've got to think up of ways to get back at each other. .

alex the bookworm - Don't be so fast to discount them! You've made the same mistake as Daphne has. ;) That's your hint. Thanks, I'll try to make updates regular but sometimes I get the itch to write and sometimes I can't even muster up a decent sentence much less a chapter.

shopaholic1369 - I'm thrilled that you've even read my story! I've followed the Son of Lord Voldemort (and the Hogwarts Reads series) for the longest time. I seldom reviewed though because I basically read a new chapter, went into some crazy high fit and my brain couldn't verbalize beyond awesome and I can't wait for the next chapter.

I Am Book Ninja - Thanks! I didn't follow Harry/Daphne previously but I read a really amazing one early this year or late last year and I've been a fan since. I think its because I think in first and third person on and off and its translated into my writing. I've been working on it though. You'd tell me if I do lapse back right? :)

sanbeegoldiewhitey - Blaise's role has been somewhat explained now. Or rather why he's around unlike Malfoy. I might expand on it later if I do want to bring him back. Technically the others do have a plan but it's probably not as well-thought as Daphne's or at least not that Daphne knows. ;)

major wallace - thanks :)

dan4eva - I get what you mean. I hate stories that promise me Harry/(person) and they expand it out to have four girls getting down together and with Harry - not cool. I confess I did like the idea of a Harry/Daphne with either Nym or Fleur or Luna but that would be something for next time if I do get round to it. I promised Harry/Daphne within a harem and Harry/Daphne within a harem it's gonna stay.

L - thank you. I always like semi-medieval settings and magic always has a way of smoothing things out. :)

Balder - thanks, here's chapter three! :)

Alex the bookworm brought up this question and I've kind of debated on it but I'm still 50-50 on it so I'm opening it to you guys for your opinions. Should it be in Daphne's POV solely or would you like to see some of the other people's POV? Anyhoos getting nagged about using the computer so REVIEW and hopefully I'll update soon. :)

* * *

Although Daphne had never seen a portrait of Blaise' father, she highly doubted that there were many similarities in terms of appearance. Standing next to his mother, their good looks were made more striking in their resplendent dark robes and haughty expressions.

"Lady Zabini, Blaise," Daphne bowed her head.

Calliope Zabini had the same dark, slanting eyes and noble-born cheekbones her son had but with her lighter tan and lustrous dark hair, it made her more exotic. She was dangerous, Daphne mused, as Lady Zabini's eyes flickered over the men in the crowd.

In twenty years, Lady Zabini had been married and mysteriously widowed eight times, one of them being Blaise' father. Daphne's own mother had once not so kindly commented that Lady Zabini was very much like a Black Widow with the way she went through husbands. It was a rather fitting description of the Lady Zabini's circumstances but only the foolish would openly comment on it.

The older woman nodded at her son and his former schoolmate before stepping away from them, giving them the illusion of privacy. If there was one thing Daphne regretted the loss of, it would the lack of privacy but now was not the time to lament over such issues.

"Lady Daphne," Blaise smirked amusedly at her.

While Blaise kept mostly to himself at school, he would occasionally join her whenever Tracey Davis, a half-blood and Daphne's friend, was not around. Their tentative friendship was a sore spot to Tracey who occasionally had to hole herself up in the library or their dorm room while Daphne and Blaise were together.

During the two wars, somehow Lady Zabini had contacted and struck a deal with Emperor Harry – her eyes and ears in exchange for a spot in Emperor Harry's new world order. Blaise or the Lady Zabini would never join the ranks of Harry's most trusted men and women but Harry certainly knew their usefulness in espionage. The Lady Zabini, in particular, had a talent for rooting out secrets and making herself invisible (quite a feat, given her breath-taking beauty) to gossiping crowds. With Blaise as her only successor, they had made themselves invaluable to Emperor Harry and his council.

"Ask me to dance," she demanded.

"Would you like to dance, Lady Daphne?" His tone revealed his amusement.

With all the pureblood society gatherings Daphne, and Blaise, had attended over the years, the dancing were almost instinctual. She kept her eyes just above his shoulders, her eyes scanning the crowd and she was certain that he was doing the same.

"The Potter-Black council wished for the consorts to provide heirs. That being said, they did not reveal the consort plan except to the nine heads of the families that they had shortlisted."

Daphne huffed in annoyance. She already knew that much. Blaise granted her a quick smile before pretending to focus on his dance steps.

"Do you know why he chose us nine? So far all I can gather is that he has two of each of the Hogwarts houses and that French quarter-Veela. That and there will be no muggleborn in the harem. Do they fear the mudbloods will dilute his blood and power?"

Blaise lifted his head the slightest bit but Daphne knew that it was as close to a nod she could get in public. It was rather ironic how Dumbledore's people had championed Emperor Harry as the leader of light and yet here they were, with Harry as supreme leader of the British magical society and his nine wives of good pureblood stock.

"Still, why us," Daphne mused.

"Fleur Delacour, the only foreign bride. Her father is one of most influential Lords and he works in their Department of International Magical Cooperation. Quite a feather in his hat to have Emperor Harry as a son-in-law of sorts," Blaise twirled her around.

"More like the political bride," Daphne observed.

"If you say so, my lady. Susan Bones and Amber Noel are self-explanatory. The two ladies are the last of their lines."

Daphne cut him off excitedly, "By marrying them, Lord Harry gains another two bloodlines and their family fortunes."

The dark-skinned boy bowed to her once the song ended. They waited a moment before starting up with the next song.

"You, Vaisey and Mirfield are interesting choices as well. I suppose by marrying into those families, Emperor Harry ensures that their families will support him if they ever wanted their royal offspring to raise them up."

"And Cornelia is an obvious choice. Her father will ensure that the press will be favourable to him," Daphne realized.

Blaise smirked at her again, "Quite so."

He lowered his voice so much that Daphne had to lean in slightly to listen, "There are rumours that Lord Black put Nymphadora Tonks to this marriage because Malfoy has a claim on the Black line. Both Emperor Harry and Lady Tonks have Black blood in their recent lineage. By marrying her, Emperor Harry had secured his line of succession when Lord Sirius Black passes on. Any child of theirs will further cement and strengthen Emperor Harry's claim to the Black line."

"Malfoy will lose out if they have any male offspring. Furthermore she has proven herself fertile, he cannot expect to win that claim," Daphne pointed out.

"Lovegood is supposedly a sentimental choice. An insane father, dead mother, Emperor Harry would have wanted to keep her as close to him as he could. She is rather pretty so it's not a total loss."

Daphne tried to ignore the pang in her heart as they swerved to avoid a rather enthusiastic couple. Ordinarily, Luna Lovegood was a rather strange but decent girl but the blonde oddball was turning out to be her worst enemy. Daphne had to up her game but the problem was she didn't know how.

* * *

Her first time, Daphne was proud to say, was with her beloved Emperor, the Lord Harry Potter-Black. Despite the rumours that Slytherin girls rarely graduated with their maidenhead intact, Daphne could claim that her husband would have no doubt that he would be the first.

It was not that she had never dated. She had dated two boys during her Hogwarts years – both cut from the same pureblood supremacist cloth. It made sense though because for a Slytherin, their dating options were either their fellow Slytherins or the traditional pureblood Ravenclaws.

Unsurprisingly her first boyfriend had been Blaise Zabini. It had ended very quickly because her father had been outraged at her choice of a relatively unknown male and Blaise had no wish to be tied down at the tender age of fourteen.

Her second had been Darius Berrow, another Slytherin two years her senior. He had been a rather enthusiastic boyfriend and their relationship came to a screeching halt when Daphne refused to let their physical explorations go beyond kissing.

She was not stupid or naïve about the act of sex though. She had read many romance books, some rather graphic ones at that, and she had read books about sex and magic. Her mother had caught her reading such books and had vaguely told her not to panic and to listen to her husband in all matters regarding to bedroom but Daphne was hopeful that the actual act of sex would be more loving and less of a duty.

There was an unexplainable gleam in Lord Harry's eyes the night he took her for the first time. She had not intended to but tears had trickled out when they climbed into her bed. He had been gentle and kind but he did not linger. Giving her a regretful kiss, he returned to his own suite of rooms after escorting her to the bathroom and leaving her in the hands of her capable house elf.

Lady Narcissa had been somewhat furious when she had found out that Harry had left for some unknown reason after visiting Daphne's room. Daphne had bored the brunt of her enmity for a week before Harry returned to her bed once more.

"I am sorry." Harry told me sincerely as she shrugged off her robe.

"There is nothing to be sorry about. You are my husband now, Lord Harry. I will not deny you anything within reason. Although I will deny this conversation if anyone else asked but I am glad that you were my first," Daphne told him, wanting to comfort him.

Harry had looked at her in such an adoring manner that might have seemed geeky but it was endearing to her. She had never felt so loved in her life before.

"You will not cast me aside ever, Harry, and that is more stability than I have ever gotten in my life. My father traded me in from heiress to consort in hopes of elevating his status; my sister would forget my existence once her marriage contract is agreed upon and fulfilled. Although I am only your consort, I am also your wife and friend and I need not fear losing your favour for any petty reason."

Although Daphne had not intended to say that, it had been the right move. While Harry did not increase his visits to the harem, she noticed that he was beginning to spend more nights in her room.


	4. The Walls Are Coming Closer

Wrote this a few days ago and I'm pretty pleased with myself. I know I'm still making mistakes here and there but for some reason I can't spot it until after I put it up here so if you do see any mistakes, feel free to point them out and I'll make the changes.

Aaron Leach - I hope this one will be exceed the previous chapter because I totally obsessed over writing this chapter.

Slytherin66 - Golly miss molly, you left me three long reviews that had me smiling all day! There will be events that I follow on and off from the book but just assume that from year 4 onward, it is not canon. A lot of JKR's pairings and deaths didn't make sense but my opinion is that she was killing off anyone that could give Harry the stability and bond of an adult/mentor/parent. Yes! It never made sense, Lupin was not a good boyfriend/husband and Bill and Fleur seemed rather forced.  
Daphne is just a girl - and a pureblood girl with no knowledge of most things muggle. While she would be determined to top the rest, she has nothing to rely on besides what knowledge she can gather from books or hearsay. Harry's the same - he had no knowledge of most things magical and JKR never bothered to write that in. To be honest if I were Harry, I would have read book after book and tried to find out everything about magic if I had just found out I was magical.  
Technically Fleur's a political tool. Her father married her off to Harry's rising star while Harry married her to build ties to the French. It was like the old political royal marriages of old. Plus Harry's the noble sort - he would stand to the end, he wouldn't run. I hope this chapter meets your expectations! :)

. .86 - thank you! I actually completed this a while ago but I couldn't help combing it over to add or delete or just be smug over it. Now this is up, I should probably get onto the next chapter...

alex the bookworm - I do like listening (or in this case reading) other people's opinions. It helps me think and guides my writing because then I know what is lacking or what needs to be addressed. I do like writing Daphne's POV but every now and then, I come across a point in the plot that I feel needs an outsider POV but that's probably me running off my own tangent.

Lord Lelouch - Now I'm nervous. I haven't even written the next chapter, much less an ending! .

Guest - thank you. :)

As always, I'm shamelessly plugging for more reviews. REVIEW, people, REVIEW and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I write it - if not it's gonna languish in my hell of scribbles.

* * *

The Yule-New Year period was hectic. A suite within the Harem wing had been hastily converted for Emperor Harry's occupancy during that period, given that there were lots of late nights for him and the Lady Narcissa had thoughtfully provided a schedule for which two girls had to be on hand and ready to entertain if Harry wished so.

It was clear by then that Nym, Fleur, Luna and Daphne were frequent bed partners of Harry's. Both Susan and Cornelia were increasingly sulky and antsy. Amber had remained indifferent – as she was the youngest, Harry had been hesitant to visit her bed aside from the first time if only to consummate their status as husband and consort.

Daphne had been there that one December evening when Amber had all but announced her intentions of remaining Emperor Harry's consort-wife as she had no design on the Queen's throne. It made sense for the youngest Gryffindor given that Amber was more concerned about bearing a son for her king and then a son for the Noel line. If she had to admit, Daphne was grudgingly impressed that Amber had more foresight to throw in the towel now than to compete for a lost cause.

Luna, on the other hand, was everyone's biggest contender. No matter what tactics the women tried to employ, it did not stop Harry from seeking out Luna's company. It irked Lavinia and the prim and proper Cornelia that a powerful man like Emperor Harry would enjoy the oddball's companionship.

Daphne knew that some of the other girls sometimes made a mess in Luna's room or 'misplaced' some of Luna's belongings. There were occasions that Luna had requested her assistance in repairing her torn sheets, broken knick-knacks and ripped books but other than helping Luna out every now and then, she had remained neutral to the conflict. It didn't stop her from feeling ashamed though when the Lady Narcissa had to put the end to the unbecoming and uncouth behaviour and lectured them of their enforced sisterhood.

As they had been busy trying to adjust to their new lifestyles and trying to get along with the many different personalities, their wake up call had been rather unpleasant despite the happy news.

Nym had announced her pregnancy at Christmas with Harry by her side. His eyes, soft and warm with affection and pleasure, and his loving behaviour towards the older witch had made Daphne's stomach twist with a sour feeling. She had watched enviously as Harry accommodated the pregnant woman, occasionally giving her backrubs and dropping by whenever he had a free moment to check up on Nym and sometimes he brought the older witch gifts.

The feeling was compounded two nights after the New Year when Fleur had triumphantly announced her pregnancy as well. Emperor Harry had come to spend the evening and had actually taken up a game of Wizard's Chess with Cornelia when Lady Narcissa and Fleur had entered the large sitting room, all smiles and cheers.

"I am wit' child," Fleur announced at large.

She had looked startled at Harry's presence but she hurried over and gave a short curtsey. "My lord and love, I am pregnant with our baby. I 'ope zat it pleases you so."

Harry looked equally stunned before a smile broke upon his face. He had abandoned the game and had kissed Fleur on the lips in front of everybody. "Ma belle Fleur, you have no idea how happy this news makes me. What else did the Healer say?"

Lady Narcissa had broken in at this point while Fleur preened at the attention she was receiving from Harry, "My Emperor, Fleur is two months with child only. It is still early days for any public announcement. Healer Tonks and I had discussed it earlier; perhaps we should wait until Ostara before we make an announcement? Fleur will then go into confinement just before your birthday and we shall have our new Prince or Princess before September."

Emperor Harry gave his lopsided grin that charmed everyone, including Lady Narcissa, and kissed Fleur on the cheek before turning to squeeze Nym's hand. "It looks like I will have two babies in time to celebrate our anniversary, no?"

He had spent the rest of the night sandwiched between Nym and Fleur who cooed over Harry and their still-flat bellies. Amber, Luna and Cornelia were having their periods and therefore had disappeared as soon as it was reasonable to do so. It was clear by the disappointed faces of Anna, Lavinia, and probably hers as well, that the three of them would not be the ones receiving Harry's attentions for the time being.

It became painfully obvious that Lord Harry desired and adored children and the two pregnant Consorts were happy to be bestowed with Lord Harry's favour. While he was fairly strict with his subjects, Lord Harry was very generous when it came to rewarding the mothers of his unborn children – or rather the families of the mothers, Daphne corrected herself.

Nym's son, from her deceased first husband, was already favoured as he was Harry's godson. After Nym's announcement of her pregnancy, he had been raised to Lord Teddy Lupin of House Lupin despite that the boy was not even two years old and could not even look after himself much less the properties and families he would be charged with. Lord Delacour, Fleur's father, was tipped off to be the next advisor of Harry's council and he would become the liege lord of the Parkinson and Derwent families once Fleur gave birth.

* * *

Daphne had almost wished that Lady Narcissa had rejected her father's summons to return home for a weekend but the second week after the New Year had been quiet and with Fleur and Nym's pregnancies taking precedence, the rather strict Lady Malfoy had allowed some of the more favoured girls to go home for a few days.

Her mother, Lady Margaret Greengrass, had been pleased to have the family back together once more. With that knowledge, Daphne had deliberately spent all her waking time with her mother as she avoided the dreaded conversation with her father.

Unfortunately her father was not a patient man by nature and she found herself in her father's study on the second evening. The Lord Greengrass was not a handsome man but he had a rather cold stare and imposing stature that commanded obedience, or at the very least respect.

"Father," Daphne had greeted him expressionlessly.

She knew her father enough that it was his method of building up the trepidation or guilt by making her wait. He would settle some work or make a fire call or sometimes he chose to stare at her with a glass of wine in hand. She would have to stand about an arm's length away from his huge study desk and pretend that his mind games were ineffective against her.

Tonight was the hardest method to ignore. His chilly gaze swept over her and his dark eyes, the same colour as hers, steadily burned with anger as he drank from the gold goblet that Daphne vaguely remembered had been a gift from her and Astoria years ago.

Although she had never been close to either of her parents, it still hurt that she had failed to meet her father's expectations.

"The half-blood Metamorphmagus, I expected her to be pregnant first. Emperor Harry had to secure the Black line after all, that much I could allow," Her father started, "And then I hear the half-breed chit has managed to breed a baby."

The goblet clanged unpleasantly against the aged wood desk. Daphne was tempted to look away but she kept her eyes on her father's face.

"Do you wish to see a foreign half-breed sit on the throne? I, for one and I assure you I am not the only one, have no intention of bowing and scraping to some nancy boy who would sprout feathers at a whim! Do you wish to sit at his feet and sing his praises after the half-breed child becomes King?"

Daphne cleared her throat, "No, father."

There was not much she could say in the face of her empty womb. She had bled not two days ago, indicating another month had passed without a baby being implanted. In a more conventional marriage, she would have said it was still early days – they had been husband and consort for only a handful of months. But her arrangement was not a normal marriage.

Her father's lips curled, almost as though he had read her thoughts. "The Metamorphmagus will be the Lady Black once her son is born. The council has agreed upon bestowing that title to her. The French strumpet will wish to wear the crown of Queen Consort once she has birthed the Emperor's heir.

"The other girls are not far behind as well. If the half-breed fails to provide a boy, the first one among them to provide the Potter heir will become Queen Consort. Are you so contented in your position that you will settle to be a broodmare? I should have sold you to the Montagues if you were so eager to push babies by the dozen," He ended sarcastically.

She couldn't help it. She flinched. It was a cheap shot but her father's words had the intended effect. Being sold off like cattle had been a terrifying thought that had plagued Daphne during her Hogwarts years that her father would marry her off to one of the many traditional, patriarchal families who thought little of women except as a means to provide heirs.

Graham Montague was one such boy who embodied the spirit of the traditional pureblood patriarchs. He had been one of the most vocal about girls being nothing but slaves for men and how it was a waste of money to have women educated. It was also well-known that Montague had a penchant of beating girls whenever it suited him. His sister, Alison Montague, and the two Slytherin girls that were contracted to the Montague family always bore dark, painful-looking bruises on their arms and occasionally their faces. Daphne had feared the worst when her father once mentioned that the Montagues had professed an interest in her.

"There is no need to worry," She tried not to let her emotions cloud her voice; "Emperor Harry visits me very often. I will be with child soon enough."

Lord Greengrass had taken up his goblet once more but snorted with derision at her words. "Soon enough will not help you. Someone else will be with child before long and you will be far behind. You better be pregnant by next month or you will never be Queen," He took another sip, "Get out. I do not wish to see your face again unless you can tell me you have a child in your belly."

This interview was over. Daphne was certain that she would not hear of this matter any further as she curtseyed to her father who then yelled for a house elf to get more wine for him before turning back to the parchment on his desk.

"Good night, father."

She briskly walked to the door, determined to get to her room before her face crumpled and revealed her anguish but her father's words stopped her.

"You better pray that the half-breed hussy is carrying a girl or all my work and all your so-called efforts about will be for naught."


	5. Death Begets New Life

Sorry about the delay but I had so much trouble with this chapter. The first half was a chore because I was real moody all week and it made the story really dark - mind you, I practically rewrote that bit but it still sounds a little dreary. Gah, I need to find something to cheer me up. Maybe I'll find an ice cream pool and drown in it or something. .

Aaron Leach - thank you. :)

Meow - Eightlings? What's that? I hope the second half did 'brighten' up the story so to speak. :)

Levarne - Oh, stop it you~! Haha. I'm blushing now.

Undergroundirector - The past is always fascinating, we're so overcrowded with crap like 'swag' and what nonsense that I actually half wish that I had lived a couple centuries ago. In regards to Hermione and the Weasley family, I've been trying to think of a scenario where Daphne would encounter them because they simply would not cross paths in a normal situation. Hopefully it would happen soon enough. =/

alex the bookworm - I'm so flattered! -blush- Strangely very few people like the portrayal of Daphne's father but I would have thought it made sense given how she ended up as a Consort. I'm sorry about the slow updating but sometimes I find it very difficult to put the story from my mind to words and that's an annoying problem because I sit at my laptop trying to bang out something that pleases me.

sanbeegoldiewhitey - Thank you. I do agree with you. There are people who are capable of rewriting the HP series to their own pairings or twists, this story is a mix of post-canon and alternate universe which gives me more allowance for creativity, as you put it. :)

Guest - thank you. :)

flightofthephoenix86 - I realized if I put the fullstops, your name disappeared so I shall address you as such from now on. :) Harry is still rather clueless innit? But that's what makes him somewhat endearing at times and exasperating at others.

Slytherin66 - About the Veela, I tried to look up if there was anything useful I could use for or against Fleur but so far, nothing much besides the whole full-blooded Veela turning into Harpies. Yes, I do believe Harry would make his family run, much like how James forsook his own life to give Lily and Harry time to get away. But it is a good point, France would open their arms to Harry and his family (quite a coup if they did go over) if Fleur's father could smooth out their way.  
Teddy is an unknown factor to most people. Yes, he is a product of a werewolf and a half blood but with such powerful backings (the Potters and Blacks), nobody's about to make a scene ain't it? Plus if purebloods were willing to marry their daughters to a half blood, how different can Teddy be?  
The oath sounds like a good idea. I did consider it after I read your review but I am undecided if I would incorporate it because I can imagine Harry not becoming Emperor if he had made people take an oath, especially when a large number of his supporters are old school purebloods.

laughingfox31 - Oddly I don't quite think so. While the story is in the late 1990s, most pureblood families' mindsets are about a century behind especially in regards to women. If you notice in the book, older female characters were like non-entities (only exceptions would be Prof McGonagall and Amelia Bones). I would not be surprised if families such as Daphne's or even the Patils or Bulstrodes would be extremely disappointed over the lack of a male heir and the easiest target to punish would be the poor child whose only failing may have just been their gender.

darkplayer35 - thank you. Finally got this chapter up. :)

agnar - I thank you for your honest opinion. Yes, on the surface Harry does look like an ineffective, hypocritical excuse of a leader. But so far, all you know about this story has been in Daphne's POV. She did not know Harry during the years at Hogwarts or his struggles, she's only known him as her husband and King of sorts and only during a time of peace. As such, she won't know anything about his thoughts previously or even now, to a very large extent.  
Again, everything Daphne knows is people's speculations or second hand information. In today's world, if someone told me a piece of information, I can look it up on Google. That's the muggle world. Daphne is a pureblood in the Wizarding world, everything she's known, it's either from a book or someone's mouth. Can it be twisted? Yes. Can it be misconstrued? Yes. Can it be the truth? Yes.  
I'm not sure if you had read the story properly or maybe because I'm the author and hence I know what's going on more so than an average reader, but there are a lot of holes that Daphne's POV does not or has not covered. Understandably it makes a reader confused but that's why we read on - to fill in the gaps, to know what happened at the beginning, middle and end. No one in the world could have read the first book in any series and know what is going on everywhere in that book and how it ended in the third book or the seventh.  
I did mention before that this story does not follow canon sometime after the fourth book, meaning there is three years of Harry's Hogwarts years and the two years after that could have shaped or changed him from JK's Harry. Is taking over the country the right choice or was it the better choice? Dumbledore struggled with similar decisions and Harry, at one point, was angry at that but who is it to tell Harry, or anyone else, which choice is better? If Harry had to choose between Voldemort's death or simply incarcerating him, which would have been better and for whom?  
It is unfortunate that you do not like the way the story is moving from but thank you for your review anyway.

As always, review review review! I do so love reviews. I've also been thinking of putting up a poll for baby names but then again, I'm like the Queen of naming things (even non-living ones - my laptop is named Morrigan and my toy skeleton, Sayuri). Anyway, I'll think about it for now but feel free to drop names, and preferably with their meanings, in a review! :)

* * *

Although birthdays were a welcome distraction at any point in Daphne's life, the week leading up to hers was always a trying one. During her childhood, her birthdays were events where she had to perform to her father's standard despite the parties hosted were held in her honour. During her Hogwarts years, it brought her to another year closer to a marriage agreement. Her eighteenth birthday had been a solemn one as the Purge had occurred just days before her birthday.

Six days before her birthday, Daphne had been thrust awake from her sleep when a loud, heavy gong rang throughout the large castle. Blinking back sleepy tears, she gave a shuddering sigh as she tried to will away her memories. Despite growing up as a pampered pureblood princess and therefore unaccustomed to uncomfortable situations, it had not saved her when her father had all but forced her to witness the Purge.

The Purge had earned its infamous name because many witches and wizards, both purebloods and otherwise, had rose up against the new magical society. Daphne had been thankful she had been away at school because she had heard countless stories that many families had been attacked at their homes and many of the victims had not survived.

Just mere months after the Potter reign had been established, there had been an unexpected attack on Hogsmeade of all places. There were differing accounts on what truly happened but one thing was for certain – Emperor Harry had proven his ability as a leader once more.

From her father's account, Daphne had learnt that the rebels were overwhelmed shortly after Harry's entrance into the fighting, the injured sent to either Hogwarts or St. Mungo's and the Aurors and a handful of the Emperor's council were trying to subdue the last of the rebels and calm down hysterical Hogsmeade residents when there had been a loud shriek and a burst of electric yellow light.

She had heard on the radio that same night that Lord Fred Weasley had perished during the Hogsmeade skirmish. Having been one of Emperor Harry's most trusted lieutenants, the funeral for Fred Weasley had been a rather grand one at the large chapel just at the outskirts of Ottery St. Catchpole.

Just a mere four days before her birthday, the trials had started. It was a gone conclusion for all the traitors, Daphne had thought almost bitterly, as she watched by her father's side as the Lords and Ladies of the Wizard's Council had thrown in different punishments.

It had been an uncomfortable three days as she stood in her House Greengrass robes, maintaining a stoic expression as men like her father watched with near triumphant expressions as their soon-to-be former enemies were put to death through various means. Daphne had been somewhat relieved when her father finally told her that the next few would be the last.

She had been shocked though when Pansy Parkinson had been brought in. The witch looked like a wreck – her clothes were dirty and torn at the hem, her hair and face unwashed and stained with tear tracks.

Pansy Parkinson had stood accused of murdering Lord Fred Weasley during the Hogsmeade fight and it was clear from the hardened faces of the councilmen and women, Pansy would not go unpunished.

"Pansy Parkinson of the Parkinson family, you stand accused of rebelling against our King and country and the murder of Lord Fred Weasley." The judge announced at large.

"I didn't mean to, it was an accident!" The girl had shrieked tearfully when the Council was asked for its verdict.

"Liar," "Coward," and many other terms were hurled at Daphne's former classmate who continued sobbing as she stood with magic-suppressing manacles looping round her wrists and ankles.

"I vote for the Dementor's Kiss!" A sympathetic council member had shouted.

Daphne had found herself nodding. While she did wish her friend could live, the murder of a wizard, and a pureblood scion to boot, would have meant her friend would have to pay with her life. The Dementor's Kiss would be quick and Pansy's family would not have to bear the humiliation of their daughter's body being paraded or hung at the Traitor's Slope – a small plot of land where dead bodies laid until they were incinerated.

"Death by fire," Someone yelled and there were self-satisfied chuckles around Daphne's area as Pansy gave an extra loud wail.

Emboldened by their fellow councilmembers, more suggestions rained down from around the room, each as unpleasant as the next option. Daphne watched her friend's face drain of all colour despite her hiccupping and loud crying.

There was a loud bang as Lord Black, who had presided as proxy for Emperor Harry for judicial matters, stood up with his wand raised. She could see Lord Arthur Weasley and two of his sons, possibly the oldest two as Daphne did not recognise them, seated at the royal box.

"Given her crimes, I, Lord Sirius Orion Black, proxy for Emperor Harry James Potter-Black, sentence Pansy Parkinson to the Veil."

Pansy's already pale face lost all colour as she all but collapsed onto the floor. Daphne could see from her peripherals that Mrs Parkinson had fainted. She had gotten up to check on her schoolmate's mother when her father had not too gently tugged her back.

"We do not associate with traitors," he had glared at the Parkinsons before gesturing for her to follow him.

That had been the last time she had seen Pansy. A quiet funeral had been held for the brunette girl a few days after her passing of the Veil but she had not gone for it either. Did that make her a bad friend? Daphne was pretty sure it would have but had they truly been friends during their time at Hogwarts or had they simply stuck with each other out of necessity? While she had no answer to that, she had lit a candle in remembrance for Pansy.

"I hope you are somewhere better, Pansy."

* * *

While she had to share him with eight other wives, Daphne had to admit Harry was a rather considerate and thoughtful husband. Flopsy, the house elf that served her, had cheerfully ran her a bath and told her that Master Harry wished for her to pack an overnight bag.

While she had not thought much about it at that point, she had been rather surprised that Harry had remembered her wish of a quiet birthday. The small apartment had not been what she had expected but it was comfortable.

He looked a little abashed. "I thought you would like to experience something new for your birthday."

Spending her nineteenth birthday in a Muggle arcade would have drawn sneers from the pureblood community and puzzled looks from the Muggleborn but Daphne had been pleased. She had jumped at the flashing lights and loud noises but she soon learned to tune it out as she let Harry teach her how to use the unusual machines.

The tickets that the machines routinely spat out after she or Harry had played a round were small and rough unlike the shiny, smooth tickets one received for the Hogwarts train and Daphne had briefly wondered how they were made.

She had been even more thrilled when Harry had led her to a large booth and casually told her that she could exchange the tickets for a prize. While she noticed the usual stuffed teddy bears, dragons and fairies, she had been a bit more surprised to see unicorns, winged horses and strangely enough blue-coloured house elves as toys as well.

"Do the Muggles know they exist?" She whispered into Harry's ear.

"I don't think so, at least not in today's world. A lot of magical creatures have appeared in stories for Muggle children though." Harry had looked almost fondly at the toys.

She glanced at the prize counter before grinning at Harry. "I think I know which one I want."

He had followed her gaze and jokingly groaned. "Typical Slytherin," he joked as he handed over their tickets to claim the prize.

They spent an enjoyable few minutes chatting lightly as she compared the three toy snakes before deciding on the green coloured serpent.

While Daphne was not a picky eater, she had been hesitant to follow Harry when he insisted on them trying out a Muggle restaurant. She had been rather relieved to know that the food was nearly the same as the food in the Wizarding world.

She had been a little disappointed when Harry had Apparated both of them back to the Potter cottage after their meal but it had been short-lived as he had politely asked her to change before they went out again.

"I have to admit, when you plan a birthday, you really go all out," Daphne told her husband as he set down the picnic basket.

The cool wind prickled her skin but with a quick wave of her wand and a warming charm, Daphne felt much better as she helped Harry set up their picnic area, Muggle-style.

"It is your first birthday with me. I hoped I could make it special."

His answer made her stomach flip flop but she kept a friendly smile on her face as she busied herself with trying to find a rock to hold down her corner of the blanket.

"What do wizards do on beaches?" Harry had asked curiously.

Daphne's mind tried to think of an example but she had to admit that she had no answer. "I don't know. My family never went to the beach," She continued, "What do Muggles do?"

Harry looked at the near empty beach. It was too cold for the Muggles to come down, he had told her but they had warming charms and a couple of heating rocks to warm up their area. The location was still very charming and she could see a Muggle couple wandering about much further up from their spot. Perhaps they knew of the appeal of a deserted area too.

"Well, usually they fly kites or build sandcastles. My cousin was too fat to run about so we never went to the beach either." Harry told her as he frowned for a moment and scanned the area.

Daphne had nearly frowned herself. Harry had been a little distracted a few times during their day out as well. "Is something wrong?"

He had hesitated for a moment. "I can sense presences."

"Pardon?" Daphne felt a bit bewildered.

Harry rubbed the side of his head. "It's a bit hard to explain. Dumbledore taught me about it years ago. Here, let me teach you."

He moved closer to her. "Close your eyes," he instructed.

Although she had been a bit wary, Daphne was interested in learning new things about magic and so she complied. Closing her eyes, she followed Harry's instructions to look for her magical source inside her.

Back in second year, she had researched the different electives available and she had been disappointed that the original Hogwarts offering of fifteen electives had been culled down to five, two of which were utter nonsense in her opinion and one she had been told was horribly outdated and therefore useless.

Of the original fifteen electives, one of them had been Core Magic. It was definitely one of the harder electives given the level of concentration and discipline that was required for it. Daphne had been rather interested in it but other than a couple of books in meditative techniques, information for Core Magic was unavailable.

While Harry had not told her the nature of the skill he was about to teach her, Daphne was pretty sure she was about to get her first lesson in the basics of Core Magic.

She was not quite sure what was supposed to happen but Harry's steady voice was very calming so she let go her train of thought and focused on her breathing. Just when the darkness in her mind had lightened up to a light purple, a hand suddenly grabbing her arm startled her from her meditation and focus.

Fairly put out at the distraction, she had been ready to snap at Harry when the look of surprise of his face stopped her. She gently tapped his hand to remind him of his hard grip. Apologetically, he let go before gently clasping her hand in his.

"I think we're about to find out the source of my distraction," he grinned excitedly.

Before Daphne could respond to his remark, he had closed his eyes and whispered for her to do the same. "Concentrate deeper," he told her.

Huffing inwardly at his previous interruption, Daphne closed her eyes once more. Willingly away her other thoughts, she had been pleased to see the purple light swirl into a bubbling ball of energy.

From her readings, she knew this was her magical core. While she had no idea if the colour had any meaning, she had been pleased to note that it looked stable.

"_Focus_," Harry whispered once more.

Letting go of her pleasure, she turned her attention away from her magical core. She tried reaching out with her mind, happily noting that she could see a hazy golden-red orb a slight distance away. Concluding that it was Harry's core, she was about to try and steer further when she sensed, more than saw, a flash.

Steering herself towards it, she had been pleasantly surprised to see a flickering ball of pale yellow. Trying to follow Harry's brief instructions on going closer to it, she suddenly felt heady.

Jerking up from her meditative state, she glanced up questioningly at Harry. His smile grew wider as he nodded in affirmation.

"A baby," she whispered in awe.

"Our baby," he corrected her, gently kissing her cheek.

"Our baby," Daphne repeated.

She tightened her grip on Harry's hand as her other hand stroked the flat planes of her belly. This was the miracle her father hoped for, the dream she secretly harboured and the blessing that Harry always wanted. Looking up at Harry's happy face, she felt a frisson of delight as she savoured this special moment with her husband.

* * *

Usually I don't comment at the bottom but I do realize the first half left a few open questions that I felt Daphne was incapable of answering or the scene could not cover.

Put to death through various means - Please don't take it so literally. Everyone is dying from the moment we are conceived. Yes, there are still those who died within a short time from their trials, others, it could mean house arrest, lifetime imprisonment or stripping of wealth and titles which would leave them destitute and often, without friends to beg for charity which could leave them to the mercies of the world.

Pansy's death - I live in Singapore where capital punishment is still in practice and that is what I am basing it on. In fact, in Pansy's case, she would have committed four crimes - one of murder, one of mutiny, two of treason, any of which she would have had to be hanged for. Harry and Sirius Black, as Harry's proxy, could only go so far as to save her from more extreme methods of execution but again, everyone would have different opinions about that.


	6. Learning What Matters Most

You can mostly thank my boyfriend who threatened not to buy me lunch if I didn't update. =_= and since I'm such a sucker for food, I'm back with a new chapter!

This is going to sound really dumb but AlsoKnownAsMatt pointed out to me that I could privately message those who have responded (at least those with an account). Being such a ninny, I never knew that so obviously the last chapter was the first time I responded by PM. I still don't like it though. Oh well.. To those who reviewed, thank you so much. They really brighten up my day! :)

To Jairakthongthieo, Wes and Levarne, (as I assume you two have no account on ffn) thank you ever so much. Daphne will get a reprieve from her father during the pregnancy - he wouldn't want her to lose it because of stress now, would he? It's not an idea I've seen in any HP stories I've read either so I'll take your word that it is a unique take on a pregnancy discovery. All I can say is that Daphne has a far bit of a way to go before she becomes Queen Consort and nothing's set in stone yet so no comments on the babies. I've been trying to work a way to introduce the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione into the story where Daphne would be at but they probably will pop up at different times.

A lot of you have asked where Ron, Hermione and Ginny are and whether they'll appear. I've been working on the next few chapters and I can assure you that Hermione's appearance is in the works so review and Hermione will finally make her debut in To Be Queen. ;)

* * *

While Harry had confirmed the presence of a living foetus, he had admitted the magic did not extend to estimate the baby's timeframe or beyond certifying its growing existence, its health. Upon their return to the apartment, Harry had Flooed for Lord Sirius and Lady Andromeda.

Daphne had been a little confused at their summons but it was clear when Lady Andromeda stepped into the apartment, a friendly expression on her face and a satchel that smelt faintly medicinal.

"Good evening, my lady Daphne. Lord Harry informed us that you believe you are with child?"

Daphne turned her gaze to Harry who was looking tenderly at her before nodding, remembering how they had learnt of the baby's existence. Immediately Lady Andromeda had ushered her to take a seat.

As the older witch busied herself with setting up, Daphne took the few minutes to take a closer look at the Healer. While she knew Lady Narcissa and Lady Andromeda were sisters, they were very different both in deportment and looks.

Lady Narcissa was the quintessential pureblood trophy wife that many pureblood girls were taught to aspire and embody; the Lady Andromeda had the same kind, friendly demeanour that Nym carried herself with. She had been rather tickled that the sisters were very yin-yang in their appearances too - Lady Andromeda's dark brown hair, which was tied up in a practical bun, and kind eyes were the very opposite of Lady Narcissa's light colouring and cool expressions.

She watched intently as Lady Andromeda swished her wand a few times and murmured under her breath. Straining her ears, she tried to catch the words. She looked up to see an amused look on Lady Andromeda's face.

"You were correct in your deduction that you are pregnant. Congratulations, the baby is about eight weeks old at this point. The baby should be due in early September if everything proceeds smoothly," the woman gave her a warm smile.

Daphne frowned at the news. She had bled twice during the period she was supposedly with child. "That can't be. I had my period the last two months."

Lady Andromeda nodded understandingly. "There are occasions when a woman bleeds during a pregnancy, especially during the earlier months. For now, we shall monitor the situation as it is no cause for concern during the first trimester."

She turned to her bag as she produced a couple of jars. "Now I know you may wish to continue your marital duties but I often think it prudent that the two of you should exercise some caution…"

Daphne blushed as she continued to listen to Lady Andromeda. She turned her gaze to Harry who looked equally embarrassed by the Healer's words. He glanced at her and gave her a sheepish grin and a wink before turning his attention back to the older witch.

After Lady Andromeda had been assured that they had taken in what she had said and that they promised to let her know if anything else cropped up, the Black cousins left after a quick word with Harry.

She was glad for the short moment alone as she closed her eyes and reached out to her baby once more. The glowing orb shone brightly as she tried to mentally brush her mind against it. A comforting feeling blanketed her as a red-gold orb crackled nearby.

She woke up in Harry's arms as he trailed his fingers over her forearms and wrists. "Happy?" he whispered.

"Very much so," she told him before reaching up and kissing her husband.

* * *

Although the letter delivered by the Greengrass family owl had not been a red Howler, it was not exactly a welcomed one either. By this time, the girls had taken to having breakfast together and that day had been no exception.

Luna and Susan had been in a rather serious conversation over Horklumps, Amber, Lavinia and Fleur were all busy reading their own mail but Cornelia had been watching her as soon as the owl had winged away from the table.

Trying to act casual, Daphne set the letter next to her plate and concentrated on adding some milk to her whole-grain cereal. The lack of scented perfume indicated that the letter had been from her father as opposed to her mother or sister. While usually the fact that it was unscented would have been welcomed as she still suffered from morning sickness, her stomach churned uncomfortably at the thought of a letter from her father.

Daphne had sat miserably for another fifteen minutes, forcing herself to finish her bowl of cereal before excusing herself. Cornelia had looked like she had wanted to say something but Daphne hurried to her suite before anyone could call her back.

The letter had been pretty tame considering her last encounter with her father. Always to the point, her father had written to offer his hearty congratulations, and those of her mother and sister, on her pregnancy. There were no questions about her health or that of the baby's. Daphne had no doubt that he cared more of the gender of the baby than if she would have an easy pregnancy or birth.

On that note, she headed to the Potter library. While Lady Andromeda had done the check up after she and Harry had returned from her birthday weekend, Daphne could not imagine asking about its gender in front of Harry. She also had a feeling that Lady Andromeda would have been disappointed if she had asked after her baby's sex.

She had been rather grateful when Harry, Sirius Black and Bill and George Weasleys had managed to tweak the enchantments on the Potter castle as it allowed the consorts, and Emperor Harry's most trusted friends, to wander around the Potter-warded parts of the castle. Today, it came in particularly handy as the Potter library was devoid of people and she hurried to find the appropriate texts.

Choosing to sit herself at the study table near the back wall, Daphne settled down to start her reading. Hesitantly she cast an alarm ward to alert her of people approaching before finally turning her attention to the small stack of medical books she had collected.

Daphne often prided herself on being a relatively smart girl but many of the texts she had read had left her frustrated as she struggled to understand human physiology and her own limited knowledge of healing magic to make sense of her readings. It was more exasperating that very little about prenatal care was covered in the three different books she had pored over so far.

Her day and mood did not improve when her alarm ward had apparently failed and Sirius Black had approached her table. "My lady," he bowed his head in greeting.

"Lord Black," she may have been annoyed but she still remembered her manners.

Instead of making small talk or even leaving her alone, he had chosen to sit himself opposite her before pulling one of the books towards him. Scanning the title, he raised an eyebrow towards her.

She wasn't sure why she had reacted this way but she had flushed at his look. "I needed to check something about my pregnancy," she lied.

News about her pregnancy had only been released to Sirius Black and Lady Narcissa as it was still early days and neither she nor Harry had wanted to jinx themselves. It was lucky that Sirius Black knew or she would have had a hard time explaining herself, Daphne thought sourly, as he continued to flip through the book.

"Lady Andromeda is an experienced Healer, why not approach her?"

She refused to back down. Instead of looking away or reacting to his statement, Daphne continued staring at the older wizard. She had been pleased when he turned back to the book.

"You wish to know the gender of your baby, don't you, Lady Daphne?"

Her face had hardened, she knew as much as her cheeks tightened at Lord Black's question. For the man who allegedly taught Emperor Harry about wizard traditions and etiquette, Sirius Black had little regard for the rules or maintaining a modicum of tact.

Instead of giving her a pitying look, he had laughed and tossed the book back on the table. "You're not going to find any knowledge of it here, my lady."

"There are other books available, Lord Black."

His jet-black hair was the nearly the exact same shade as Harry's, Daphne realized as the older wizard shook his head.

Propping his elbows on the armrests of his chair, he looked at her with a solemn expression. "What you don't understand is that the reason why there's no such charm or enchantment or magical rock to determine a baby's gender is simply because magic won't allow it."

"Magic is fairly sentient, my lady, and in this case, magic had made known its will. There are a few rituals in books but you will never find the answer to your question because they don't work. Magic has chosen to protect the innocent unborn by making the baby's gender unknown until its birth."

"That's not possible," Daphne breathed.

The man smiled and for the first time, Daphne could see why her mother had once fancied the Gryffindor Black. His face lightened, the tired lines practically disappearing in the face of his carelessly good looks as he continued smiling at her. It disconcerted Daphne that the wizard was handsome in the same way Harry was.

"Do you honestly think your father would have two daughters if he could choose to have a son?"

Daphne had been taken aback by the unexpected question, "What?"

"What about Lady Narcissa? Do you think she would have been born if Lady Andromeda had been born a boy?"

She sat there silent. Truthfully her father would have given her, Astoria and any number of daughters he had to have just a single son. Most purebloods stopped at one child if they had a male as the firstborn.

"How many pregnancies would be terminated if the couple had known the sex of their baby or even the number of babies? The purebloods are very protective of their titles and wealth, having too many children will mean their fortunes would be distributed among the family and even out of the family. Heaping the lot onto the only child of the next generation will cut away at that problem, wouldn't it? That is basis of the theory why magic doesn't work in revealing much about a pregnancy."

Her efforts had been for naught then. The last few hours of research had been a waste of time simply because there was no way for Daphne to find out her baby's sex. Turning back to the older gentleman, she decided to try something else.

"Is Lord Harry looking forward to a birth of an heir?"

A shadow of something passed over the man's face. While not very experienced in the art of maintaining a mask over her emotions, Daphne was certain that it had been genuine emotion as opposed to Sirius Black faking it.

"All he wishes is to have healthy children," Sirius started slowly, "And for his wives to have no complications during their pregnancies."

She nodded unhappily. When she had tried to subtly ask Nym about it, she had given a similarly bland answer. They sat quietly for a few minutes before the light chattering of Lady Andromeda and Lady Narcissa could be heard as they entered the library.

The older wizard immediately whisked out his wand and Banished the books back to their respective shelves. He stared at her for a moment longer before bowing.

Just as he took his leave of her, he turned back and asked her, "Would having a boy or a girl make a difference? As long as both parents love them unequivocally, a baby of either sex is a blessing for all."

A little astonished at her pseudo father-in-law's words, Daphne could merely shrug weakly before returning to her quiet contemplation. It was true that Harry would never take offense over the birth of a girl but a boy would certainly assure her good graces and position in both Harry's and her father's eyes.

* * *

Just a little note here again.

Back in the past, information about sex and pregnancy was limited mainly because a) it was considered scandalous for a woman (unless she was a prostitute or a midwife) to know much about it and b) they didn't want to scare young women about the risks and pain in having babies.

Despite the setting being in 2000, the wizarding collective in UK are still pretty backwards so the only way Daphne could learn about her pregnancy - beyond shallow concerns about her figure and ways to have a healthy baby, was to ask someone trained in medicine, i.e. a Healer.

I do know some of you wish to know the genders like ASAP but I find this more entertaining and it does make sense because in the past, nobody knew whether one would have a boy or a girl until they were born. The evidence sorts of lends itself to families like the Weasleys - they had seven children and one of those reasons was because Molly wished for a girl and she and Arthur continued having children until Ginny was born.


	7. Everything Has A Price

I noticed that so far my update schedule goes a bit like day 1, day 3, day 14, day 17 and so forth. I was tempted to leave it on chapter 6 until next week but knowing myself, I would let this chapter stump my writing and I wouldn't start on the next chapter. This chapter is a bit of rambling but I think it will fill in some gaps nicely as I doubt that an intelligent girl like Daphne, or the hardworking Puffs were willing to spend the rest of their days in this weird limbo of tea, pregnancy and letters.

I'm a bit crushed that I only got 6 reviews for the last chapter considering chapter 5 garnered 11 reviews so no Hermione in this chapter. I had actually written part of the scene and then waited the last two days (during which I did not get a single review). Of course, being the extremely bitchy person that I am, I simply removed Hermione's entrance from this chapter. I had intended to change it back but I found myself liking this chapter too much to make the change but now I do feel a smidgen of regret because now Hermione is waiting to be written into chapter 8's outline and I'm too lazy to get a start on it.

Thank you to those who reviewed chapter 6 btw. I do appreciate some reviewers whom I've been trading experiences or opinions with as I do take your words in consideration and sometimes it inspires something different or gives me fresh ideas to tackle so thank you to those in particular. :)

* * *

As she was still in her first trimester, Daphne had opted to sticking to her normal robes rather than to order a new wardrobe of maternity wear as Nym had called it. Despite being only four months pregnant, Nym had ballooned very quickly and had taken to wearing robes instead of her usual uniform of jeans and T-shirts. Fleur, on the other hand, had shown no hint of her pregnancy as she flitted around in her usual tight-fitting dresses. The only difference was that Fleur had switched her heels for flats and Daphne had been rather surprised that the quarter-Veela was of similar height to her without her high heels.

Taking yet another sip of the vile herbal tea that Lady Narcissa had insisted the three pregnant women take daily, she briefly wondered what she should do that morning. Lady Narcissa had reluctantly informed that Harry wished for all his wives to participate in anything they liked. As long as it was not life-threatening, Harry was all for his wives in improving their minds or starting or continuing a career.

Nym had originally been an Auror but after the first war and the death of her first husband, she had quit the force and turned her attention to raising and protecting her only child. A second child on the way, Nym had opted to spending time with her son and mother while learning the basics of Healing from Lady Andromeda.

The quarter-Veela, Fleur, had been training at Gringotts to be a cursebreaker before she had joined the harem. Although the witch had said nothing, Daphne had a feeling that Fleur would be Harry's socialite wife as she spent a lot of time on making social calls and shopping.

Susan Bones had surprised the whole lot when she announced that she wished to study for a Herbology Masters. To be Mistress of a subject was no easy feat and given her disrupted education, it would be years before she would earn her Masters.

Luna Lovegood was typically strange. She had insisted that she would continue her father's work in finding elusive animals after her pregnancy. Given that she was still not pregnant, Daphne assumed the girl was still uncertain about her future plans. She had been further surprised that the Lady Narcissa had taken the blonde under her wing and the two could be seen in the sitting room nearly every afternoon.

Another girl who had opted for a Masters was surprisingly Lavinia. Having been taught to be a good pureblood wife, studying was more often than not discouraged and having known Lavinia briefly during their Hogwarts years and the last few months, the older witch had never shown any inclination for it. Yet a private tutor had been engaged for Lavinia for History of Magic and Arithmancy.

The strong-headed Gryffindor, Anna, had immediately joined the Defence Academy – apparently it had grown from just a school club to a private institution. It was said that Director Moody often took the best under his wing to groom them into outstanding Aurors or Hitwizards.

The youngest consort wife, Amber, was still in the midst of her Heiress training and she had gladly continued her lessons while taking motherhood lessons with Lady Andromeda. The pretty blonde was still not pregnant but she had been very vocal in her desire to play a big role in her children's lives.

The oldest of the sister wives, Cornelia, had not chosen a career path or further studies. Instead she spent most of her days either writing long letters or reading books in the library. While Daphne had been doing the same, it puzzled her how the older witch was satisfied with her current lot.

With her NEWT scores, Lady Narcissa had told her that a mentor could be contacted if she wished to pursue a mastery of Ancient Runes, Charms or Potions. Although Snape had been partial to his Slytherins, his teaching methods had put her off Potions so she did not have to think hard on rejecting further studies on Potions. A double mastery in Charms and Ancient Runes had been a very appealing thought but Daphne was quite sure it was not the right move at this time.

Closing her eyes once more, she confirmed her baby's presence. While Harry had not offered to teach her more, Daphne had practiced reaching out to sense other cores. Baby, as she had unimaginatively named the growing foetus inside her, with its soft yellow glow, always calmed her and she took a moment to relax in its presence.

The world around her dissolved as she pushed herself further. In Nym's suite, just opposite hers, she could see two orbs, one electric green and the smaller one a deep maroon. Luna's presence was a quirky orange-pink colour and it bounced along her vision. Cornelia's light brown orb hovered hazily, almost out of reach.

Opening her eyes again, Daphne smiled to herself. The answer to her question had been right in front of her. She had always wanted to learn while having a career and her best option was just under her own nose. She was going to learn the Forgotten Arts and Magics before advocating its reintroduction into New Britain's magical education.

* * *

As January slid to February, Nym had all but confined herself in the Potter-warded parts of the castle. Daphne had been rather alarmed to see the usual bubbly witch looking tired despite the amount of rest the witch constantly took. Although she was fond of Nym, their contact time had decreased as Lady Andromeda and little Lord Teddy were often visited the pregnant Metamorphmagus.

Anna and Fleur could have been considered friends but Daphne found it tiresome to have prolonged contact with them. The younger witches, Luna, Amber and Susan, had very little in common with her and they seldom hung out so Daphne often found herself alone as Lavinia had taken to moping in her own suite whenever she was not with her tutor.

At first Daphne had not been bothered by it as she had been busy choosing what subjects she wished to study. Lady Narcissa had been rather alarmed at her choice of subjects but Harry must have overruled the Malfoy mistress' objection as Daphne's lessons started a couple of days later.

An elderly woman, by the name of Althea Castell, had been engaged to teach her the basics of Necromancy and Healing Arts. Daphne had been rather tickled at the irony of the choice of subjects the witch was an expert in but she was an effective teacher and Daphne always looked forward to the next lesson.

Devin Naylor, her other tutor, came in twice a week to catch her up on her Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Although he had initially been engaged to teach her about Warding, he had been shocked that despite her NEWT in both subjects, the classes taught at Hogwarts had not been enough to bridge the gap to start learning about Wards beyond basic theory.

Before she knew it, Valentine's Day had breezed past. Daphne had been a little hurt that Susan had been chosen as Harry's date for the day – he did make it a point to have little dates with the other consorts throughout the week but it still hurt nonetheless.

By this time, Fleur had just entered her second trimester and she was proudly parading the slight swell of her belly. Daphne, despite being nearly three weeks behind, was about the same size as the quarter-Veela. It was a welcome distraction nonetheless as the attention was focused on Fleur and Daphne could hide her growing pregnancy in relative anonymity for the time being.

Picking up her book and notes on Warding theory, Daphne strolled back to her suite. Both tutors had been impressed upon that no harmful magic or practices were to be done during her pregnancy which meant her Necromancy and Warding practicals were non-existent. Not that she was getting many practical lessons though, her studies were still in its early days but both Althea and Naylor had warned her it would get more intensive as they picked up the pace.

Her study room was steadily shrinking, she had noted with a sad smile. The bookshelves had been moved to her sitting room while her desk and filing cabinet were pushed up against the wall.

Lady Narcissa had been in raptures when she inspected Daphne's study room. The natural light from the window was absolutely perfect, she had exclaimed before piling a stack of magazines on Daphne's desk and informing her that they would talk more about redecoration when it got closer to Ostara.

Recalling that Lavinia had expressed an interest in decorating, Daphne levitated the stack of magazines to follow her as she walked over to Lavinia's room. Although there were no passwords to prevent her entry, it was only common courtesy to allow the owner of the suite to deny their entrance so Daphne had knocked on the cherry wood door.

It was a minute or so before Lavinia answered but given how secretive the older Slytherin was, Daphne had thought nothing of it as they reconvened in Lavinia's sitting room. Unlike Daphne's sitting room which was a mix of light blue and grey cushions and satinwood furniture, Lavinia's choice of furniture had been dark woods and ivory-coloured cushioning.

The older girl had winced when she sat down. Not wanting to call any attention to it, Daphne opted to break her pregnancy news to Lavinia. While she had not expected sincere congratulations, the tight expression on the older girl's face was unexpected as well.

"Are you alright Lavinia?" Daphne asked hesitantly.

Grabbing her waist, the older girl's eyes were wide and fearful and painful whimpers escaped from her mouth. Getting to her feet, Daphne had summoned a house elf to get both Lady Narcissa and Lady Andromeda before rushing over to her friend's side.

"Oh no, no, no," Lavinia had moaned.

Uncertain of what was happening to her friend, Daphne attempted the Charm for a general diagnosis that Althea had taught her. Her wand's tip lit up but sputtered out. Angry at her failure, she shoved it back in her robes as she yelled out for help.

"I'm gonna lose it. Father will so angry," Lavinia moaned as she slid down onto the carpeted floor.

Daphne stiffened. Looking down at Lavinia's robe, she realized the bottom half was a deeper grey with rusty red streaks at specific areas. Trying not to display her own horror, Daphne tried to calm her friend.

She was relieved when the door flew open and the two Black sisters had rushed in. Lady Narcissa immediately drew in a sharp breath but did not move from the doorway. Lady Andromeda, ever the professional, was in her Healer mode as she tried to get as much information out of the two consorts before summoning Lavinia's house elf and shooing Daphne away.

Lavinia had miscarried.

Daphne had been rather stunned at Lady Andromeda's solemn announcement. Given that the Healer herself had sounded surprised at the knowledge of Lavinia's pregnancy, Daphne assumed Lavinia may not have even known but she was proven wrong in the next few minutes.

Daphne had glanced at the Malfoy mistress only to be taken aback by the unforgiving look and disapproving sneer on the beautiful woman's face.

"That silly girl, I told her not to stress over it and now she has lost a child. What would Emperor Harry say to that?"

The older Black sister looked troubled. "Hush, sister," Lady Andromeda turned to face Daphne, "She is awake now. She's just taken a couple of draughts so she's a little out of it. You can sit with her for a few minutes."

It was not a request but an order. Daphne stiffly nodded before quietly entering the room. Just before she closed the door, she peeked out and noted that sympathetic face of Lady Andromeda and the angry, jerky movements from Lady Narcissa.

Lavinia's burnished copper-brown hair was neatly braided but her wan face and red-rimmed eyes belied the true state the girl was in. Taking a seat at the edge of the bed, Daphne squeezed her friend's hand. The older witch looked even paler up close and the white pillow sheet and bedspread only helped to emphasize on it.

"Lady Narcissa is angry, isn't she?"

Daphne held on to Lavinia's hand. "No, she's not," she lied.

Tears leaked out of Lavinia's eyes. "I was so excited and scared when I missed my period. Lady Narcissa told me she would write and tell Emperor Harry and my father after we confirmed it next month."

Not knowing what to say Daphne let the older girl continue. "She, I… We hoped it was a boy because Lord Harry needs many heirs and the sooner the better. All I had to do was carry it for nine months and I couldn't even keep for one!"

The slight sobs shook Lavinia's slender frame as she finally turned to face Daphne. The sorrow and fear in the deep brown eyes was so intense that Daphne found herself lowering her gaze to look away from it.

"That's not true. You just need rest and then in a few months' time, you can try again," Daphne tried to pacify her, hoping to prevent Lavinia from becoming hysterical.

The older girl laughed bitterly before turning to stare up at the ceiling. "I highly doubt Lady Malfoy would give me a second chance that soon. I would be lucky to be with child next February much less by the time your baby is born."

Falling silent, the two girls sat quietly. It was not long until Lavinia's breathing evened out, indicating the Sleeping draught had worked.

Were their positions that precarious? While Daphne had figured out that they had been selected to provide heirs as well as political power to Harry's burgeoning empire, she was sure witches like Lavinia, Fleur, Amber and herself were not taken on as broodmares – they were too soft and unused to hardships and they would be lucky to produce more than one child in their entire lifetime.

Harry would probably mourn the loss of the child but she highly doubted that he would punish them or even recriminate any of them for an accident beyond their control. She looked down at her hands where a Greengrass signet ring rested on her right ring finger.

Stroking the slight bump, she knew this baby was going to be her saving grace. Her father had indicated that this baby would be the chance for the Greengrasses to springboard into the elite circles. As the only heiress of the Greengrass line, it was her duty to do the best for the family as Astoria would marry as soon as her NEWTs were over despite the unsuitability of her fiancé's connections. Knowing Astoria, the day she could sign herself as Mrs Draco Malfoy, Daphne would just be a connection to her past and bloodline. That meant that it was up to her to maintain relations with her family's allies or the new allies that she chose to forge relationships with and having Harry's son would definitely pave her way.

Another matter was her sister wives. She and Fleur were speeding ahead in the so-called pregnancy race but what if she lost this baby like Lavinia had with hers?

Immediately she calmed herself and inwardly, she whispered soft, soothing words to her baby. No, she wouldn't let this affect her. Whatever idea or plan Lady Narcissa and Lavinia had cooked up might have caused Lavinia's miscarriage but this was hers and Harry's baby and she would keep it that way. There was no way she was going to let anyone else interfere with their baby. For the sake of her baby, she would have to do what's best for them and nobody else.

* * *

Silly me. I nearly wrote this at the top and that would have spoiled the chapter.

As seen above, I've introduced some subjects that Daphne had labelled the Forgotten Arts and Magics. The thing is while I do have ten subjects (most of them are pretty common), I'm not sold on all ten subjects. Daphne may or may not mention them as the story progresses but it would be handy to have them on hand if they ever do make another mention. I would really appreciate some suggestions that may expand the variety of topics available.

**AS ALWAYS, PLEASE REVIEW~!**


	8. Paying It Forward

It's been a while, I know. I've been on this amazing roller coaster journey of the highs and lows of life over the last few months and I'd be honest that I was so happy and then so distraught that I had abandoned my writing for it. That and for some reason I struggled with my writing - even my usual scribbling was non-existent during the last two months. Hopefully that has past or I'll be tearing my hair out trying to write chapter 9.

Guest - I think I read it from somewhere coz I don't really watch TV except for the occasional football match and Masterchef episode.

By the way, I would appreciate if my lovely readers (those who don't hate me for my hiatus and obviously those who have not abandoned the story as a lost hope) would start contributing names because if you left me to name all of them, we'd be here forever. :P

**As always, please review! :)**

* * *

It was hard to keep secrets when nine women were in such close quarters; it was even harder to keep something that juicy, despite its tragedy, under wraps. Both Fleur and Susan had asked Daphne about Lavinia's miscarriage the following day. Not sure what had been revealed to them, Daphne had simply shrugged and headed for her own suite.

Harry had been told about the miscarriage. He was in Bulgaria, strengthening New Britain's ties with their government and to affirm to both countries of his continuing friendship with Bulgaria's national Quidditch idol, Viktor Krum. Daphne had been reluctantly informed that it would be another two days before a Portkey with the power to jump back to New Britain could be created for Harry's use.

Usually Lady Narcissa would have told Lavinia herself but given the recent outrage displayed by the Malfoy mistress, the task had fallen to Daphne. While she was annoyed that she was being sent back and forth as a messenger for Lady Narcissa and Lavinia, she was sympathetic to Lavinia's plight and a friendly face would be more welcomed than Lady Narcissa's sneering one.

Having once been on the receiving end of Narcissa Malfoy's anger, Daphne pitied the older witch. Although she spent some time sitting with the redhead in the mornings, Daphne was usually in one of the large lounge cum study rooms or the Potter library leaving Lavinia to face Lady Narcissa and her contempt alone.

While she had her doubts that someone else had caused Lavinia to miscarriage, it had been a wake-up call to her. She had gotten complacent in her time as Harry's consort. Having been made one of his wives, and being one of the three pregnant consorts, she was at a higher risk than usual.

Althea had been a bit surprised at Daphne's request to learn more about Diagnosis charms and she had not so subtly asked about Revealing charms but the elderly witch had been more than happy to accommodate the consort's wishes.

Daphne had also asked about her failed Diagnosis charm. Although it was known that freshly learned spells had a tendency to fail or sputter out, Daphne's pride had smarted at her failure. They had spent a full week practicing the charm until Daphne could effortlessly cast it before Daphne ordered Althea to continue with the curriculum. Althea had complied without further comment and Daphne had been pleased at that.

Naylor, on the other hand, had started giving Daphne some easy Wards to work on. He had brought in a simple jewellery box and they often used it to put up or take down Wards. Expressing her unhappiness at the slow schedule, Naylor pointed out they had progressed faster than a normal student would have. Daphne was slightly appeased and they had moved on from that.

He did admit though that given its size and the compatibility of wood and imbued magic made it easy, it would be some time before Daphne could work on the Wards put in and around homes.

Despite what she had heard others say, Daphne had concluded there was no way a student could have learnt how to take down a Ward from a house within weeks or a few months' worth of lessons given the intricacies and magic that were weaved into Wards.

The satisfaction she gained from learning how to raise and bring down Wards always left her in a good mood for hours after. Luna had been the happy recipient of one such afternoon as they spent a few hours hunting for Blathering Bergoruts – Daphne had no idea then what they were, and she still didn't, but she had enjoyed their time traipsing round the castle and chatting idly to a portrait every so often.

The blonde sometimes reminded Daphne of the Malfoys. With her long blonde hair and silvery grey eyes, Luna looked a bit like a female Draco Malfoy with an even temper and optimistic outlook. But when she spoke, Daphne just felt compelled to comfort the girl.

Being of different Houses and different years, the two had never officially met. Blaise had snorted in amusement in their sixth year when he had told her about Luna being Harry's date to one of Slughorn's parties. Other than that, she vaguely knew that people thought the girl was a bit of a nutter.

Daphne was pleased to find that other than the strange creatures Luna claimed to exist, Luna was a very intelligent, somewhat perceptive young woman and Daphne enjoyed their conversations. She was indignant on the girl's behalf whenever Luna alluded to her former, poor excuse of Housemates and some schoolmates' behaviour. However all she could do was to sigh inwardly, realizing that Luna, like wine and caviar, was an acquired taste.

It was shortly after her revised opinion of Luna that she had encountered a brooding Harry. While Nym and Luna had assured the rest of them that Harry was prone to fits of melancholy or moodiness and preferred to be alone, the fact that Harry was holed up in her sitting room and the slightly lost look on the younger male urged her to join him.

Despite her sex being portrayed as the softer, fairer one, Daphne was not the compassionate sort nor did she know how to comfort a person. After all as a Greengrass and a Slytherin, Daphne had little reason to experience such weakness, as all purebloods decried it to be.

Her father had zero patience in dealing with his daughters and never bothered mincing his words, offering neither praise nor a gentle rebuke. Her mother was the dutiful sort of wife – quiet, non-obtrusive and pleasant-looking; Lady Margaret was more of a favoured aunt than mother to her children. Daphne, herself, since childhood had cultivated a handful of close contacts or allies and had another dozen or so acquaintances that passed off as friends to the rest of the world but she had limited emotional ties to them.

"Hey," she offered shyly as she sat in the armchair next to his.

The dark-haired emperor briefly lifted his gaze from the flickering flames to her face before settling back onto the roaring fire. She was pleased that despite his sombre expression he still gave her a wan smile before turning his attention away from her.

She savoured the quiet moment. She had rarely gotten time with him alone ever since they had discovered she was pregnant. But right now Harry took priority. Using an atypical Slytherin tactic, she waited for him to break the silence and was rewarded within a few minutes.

"I should be more upset."

His opening statement made Daphne wonder if this is how her father felt when he dealt with difficult clients – a tightrope where the simplest misunderstanding would result in her fall from Harry's, and through him Lord Black and Lady Narcissa's, good graces.

"It is hard to feel upset about something not quite physical," she started diplomatically.

She stopped when she saw Harry's reaction - his messy hair brushing against the lapels of his robe, his shoulders shaking lightly at the ferocity of his denial. "I am sorry for the loss but I cannot help but feel relieved that there will be one baby less."

Daphne could not help it, she blanched. Involuntarily her hands shot down to the swell of her belly as though to cradle the baby and protect it from his words. The dark-haired male looked just as horrified at his poor choice of words.

"I… I don't mean it that way," he stammered hastily as he reached out to grasp her hand, "I will forever be grateful to you, and any of the other women, for bearing my children but this situation is extremely unusual."

He let go of her hand, running his hands through his dark mane in frustration. He never ceased to surprise her, Daphne would have to admit. Despite his eloquence and the Man-Who-Won persona he displayed in public, behind the Potter wards, he was simply Harry, the Muggle-raised boy struggling to bridge his past upbringing and his current pureblood learning into an acceptable compromise for his future.

Harry hated the harem situation, he had once told her in the aftermath of a pleasant night. Although he took it into stride, it did not mean he sat well with the idea of multiple wives, concubines and potential children of different bloodlines. Clearly Lavinia's miscarriage had brought these thoughts back.

"In three years' time, Teddy will ask why I am only his godfather while his younger sibling is my son or daughter. In six years or so, our kid," Harry gestured at her belly, "and all my other children will question why their mother was not enough or why the Queen's children are more important than them or why the one of the first three born are treated as their betters."

She felt a pull in her chest as Harry's disheartened face turned to her. "And all I can think of is that there is no answer in this world that will justify what I have done or the world has decided to act upon."

Taking Harry's hands and pulling it to her growing belly, she gave him a sincere smile. "Someone once told me all that matters is how much the parents love their child. You may not be able to answer the other questions but I would think that the most important thing is that all your children know you love and adore them all the same."

* * *

Twice a week, Daphne would spend her day at the Grand Hall. Sometimes she would mingle with the other Lords and Ladies of the Court but she was more content to sit in the Harem corner with a book or with Luna or Fleur as they watched Court proceedings.

There was not much in terms of Court sessions as with the Rebellion having been dealt with a year earlier and since most of the Ministry departments were still intact, there was very little in terms of day to day running.

Those who had a seat in the Wizengamot still had their bimonthly sessions to attend and Harry and his council were often busy – they still had alliances with other countries and the ICW to deal with as well as policies and rules to look over. But overall the Court was still fairly new and there were only so many tea parties and business deals the nobility class could organize.

It had been to Daphne's surprise then when she learned the council had handed over the reins of social events to Fleur, under the supervision of Lady Edith Gifford. She had fumed in the privacy of her room. She had been so dismissive of the French blonde to the point of foolishness.

Thankfully the prejudices of the older lines were still in full force and Daphne had been quick to take advantage of it. Lady Rose Malone and Lady Eleanor Malone were of the same pureblood circles Daphne had grown up in and they had been very willing to accept her in their fold. Daphne made it a point to have tea with the sisters-in-law as they kept her abreast of gossip outside of Potter Castle.

Another Lady of the Court that Daphne had made overtures to was the Lady Calliope Zabini. Despite being good friends with the woman's only child, Lady Zabini had been rather standoffish until Daphne had reluctantly gifted the older woman with a rather expensive tome on Roman magicks. It was a start though, Daphne had thought sourly as Lady Zabini made it a point to pay her respects on the occasions that Daphne was at Court.

With the Lady Zabini and the Malone Clan giving her the time of the day, it would only be a matter of time that Daphne would be introduced to the other women of their circles. The Muggleborn and half-blood circles were lost to her, Daphne would reluctantly admit as Fleur easily won them over with her natural wit and charm.

Many of the younger Ladies would recall her as a Slytherin and given the somewhat anti-Slytherin sentiments some people still harboured, it would have been a futile effort to try and make nice with them for the time being.

Her best bet still wound up being her baby's gender, Daphne had despaired to herself. If her baby was a boy and especially if Fleur failed to provide a son, she would be the undisputed first Lady of the Court but until then there was only so much Daphne could do to garner support for herself and her baby.


	9. The Other Greengrass Girl

Exams are over! Thank goddess. I felt so screwed over by one of my papers, just praying that I'll get a decent grade in that class. Was fiddling with this chapter because I wanted to put in more but I think it would have spoiled the chapter. A bit sad that not many people reviewed but I think I deserved it for not updating in ages.

I mentioned this last chapter but I'm saying it again - I need help with baby names! I've got a couple on standby but I would like to have more options and preferably with a meaning. :)

* * *

It was like everyone was watching with bated breath as Nym's pregnancy progressed into the final trimester. Inwardly Daphne was thankful that she was not the first wife to be pregnant. The countless faux-friendly remarks about her own on-going pregnancy and not-so-subtle probes about Nym and Fleur's pregnancies were the most common topics whenever she ventured into Court. Lady Rose Malone proved to be a kindred spirit whenever the Court overwhelmed her.

"They are just desperate for any news," Lady Rose told her cheerfully before she nattered on about the last tea party she had attended as they took another turn in the extensive west gardens.

Having studied pureblood genealogy since childhood, Daphne was well-versed in most of the pureblood family history. The former Rose Elliot had the fortune to meet, fall in love and subsequently marry the heir of the Malone Clan, against the rest of Clifford Malone family's wishes. Daphne was only a first year then but it had been a huge scandal for a pureblood scion to marry a half-blood girl, especially since the Elliot family had lost its prominent standing and wealth generations before Rose had even been born.

Her father had been appropriately disgusted and amused before warning his two daughters that if they dared to tarnish the Greengrass name by eloping or marrying below their standing, he would give them a thrashing they would forever remember. Daphne had spent half that night consoling a rather traumatized Astoria while briefly wondering which families her father would contract them to, if only to prevent the same shame to befall on the Greengrass name.

Oh the irony, Daphne mused to herself. Her father had ended up marrying her off to a half-blood and as a concubine to boot!

"Lady Daphne?"

Lady Rose's brown eyes assessed her stomach before jumping back to her face. "Do you need to rest?"

Daphne was about to reject the woman's offer but she decided against it. "Yes, I think I will go and lie down. I will write to you soon, Lady Rose."

Another few meaningless platitudes later, Daphne gave a sigh of relief as she entered the Harem wing. She checked the main sitting room and was relieved that neither Lady Narcissa nor Cornelia was there. The two of them had been awfully nosey about her whereabouts and choice of companions over the last few weeks.

She was heading upstairs towards her own suite when she spotted Nym resting by the bay window at the stairwell. Daphne approached the Hufflepuff alumna, intent on making some conversation.

"How have you been?" Daphne smiled teasingly.

Nym laughed softly. It was well-known that Teddy had not taken it well that his Mama was having another baby. When he was not throwing tantrums or crying fits then he demanded all of Nym's time to be devoted to him. Occasionally Harry, Lady Andromeda or Lord Black managed to coax the nearly three year old boy away from his mother but Nym often spent those short hours resting quietly or spending a quiet moment with her mother or Harry. It was rather strange to see Nym without her brightly colored hair and eyes and Daphne wondered for a moment if she had caught Nym in her moment of down time from her son and everyone else.

"It's my base form," the Metamorphmagus gestured wryly at herself.

Taking a second look, Daphne could clearly see why many had commented that the Black bloodline had bred true in Nymphadora Tonks. In her base form, Nym had the same steel grey eyes, like Lord Black, and the same thick mane of dark coloured hair and heavy lidded eyes as Lady Andromeda. There was a faint hint of Lady Narcissa as the shadows played against her cheeks and nose, giving the brunette a slightly haughty look. Daphne's lips twitched at that thought. Despite their blood relation, Nym did not think highly of her maternal aunt and would have been appalled to hear Daphne's observations.

"You look very much like your mother," Daphne complimented her.

Nym nodded as she rubbed her rounded bump absentmindedly. Nearly two and a half months ahead of Daphne's own pregnancy, Nym's convex belly had become a bit of a joke between Lord Black and the Metamorphmagus. Sirius Black had taken to proclaiming "Big belly coming through" whenever he took a walk with his niece until Nym and Lady Andromeda had caught up to him. He spent three days in horrifying shades of purple, orange and green but he cheerfully attended council meetings and Court in his garish glory.

There was a quiet lull before Daphne broke the silence. "May I?" She asked, holding out her wand and gesturing towards Nym's belly.

The amusement and curiosity in Nym's eyes gave Daphne her answer before Nym verbally replied, "Go ahead."

Waving her wand in an intricate knot before jabbing it quickly, Daphne attempted a simple diagnosis charm meant for monitoring a pregnancy development. A blue light emerged and hovered above Nym's belly before darkening to an inky blue. "29 weeks," Daphne told the older witch, delighted with her successful casting of the spell.

A quick wince had Daphne hurrying forward but Nym waved her off. "The kid's just roughhousing inside," Nym told the Slytherin girl.

Taking Daphne's hand, the older witch placed it on her belly. Daphne startled a little when she felt something thump against her palm. "He's going to be a football player at this rate," Nym grumbled good-naturedly.

Her words caught Daphne's attention. "It's a boy?"

Nym looked vaguely uncomfortable. Daphne often suspected that Nym had her suspicions about Daphne's want of a male child and today confirmed it. "It's more of a feeling," Nym clarified, "An instinct, if you will. I had the same 'morphing trouble when I was pregnant with Teddy – I think this little one's going to be a Metamorphmagus too, and I craved pears and gravy a lot for both pregnancies."

Daphne made a face at the weird food combination. She had been pretty lucky so far that her morning sickness period had been short with minimal fuss and the only craving she had was for crunchy apples but even that lasted only a weekend.

"I don't think I have a feeling for it," Daphne said for the lack of conversation.

Nym patted her hand consolingly. "My mother didn't either. She just said she felt hungry all the time but she didn't have an inkling of what gender I could possibly have been."

* * *

It seemed that a year of relative peace meant that the rules and restrictions could finally be relaxed. Lady Narcissa had announced at breakfast one morning that the women were free to invite or host family or trusted friends. They could even make visits or take a short stay out of the castle as long as they had informed her or Lady Andromeda in advance.

Immediately Amber, Cornelia and Fleur had taken the advantage to return home for Ostara. Andromeda had taken both Nym and Teddy for a short weekend away. Lavinia had been summoned home and it was with much trepidation and reluctance that she had left Potter Castle.

Luna had invited Daphne to join her and Susan for a three day camping trip but Daphne privately thought she would have sooner ate Bubotuber pus than go without a shower for three days or sleep on the ground, particularly in her current condition. In a moment of self-pity and loneliness, Daphne had written and invited her mother and sister to spend Ostara at Potter Castle.

Lady Margaret and Astoria were appropriately awed by the grand foyer of the Potter-warded entrance. The shimmer from the shine-spelled marble and the large, curving staircase with its equally shiny balustrade dominated the room with heavy, velvet drapes nearly obscuring the two ornate double doors that led to separate wings.

"The Potter family suites, nurseries and private library are upstairs. Although it is warded against non-residents, I can assure you it is just as breath-taking as this entrance hall," Daphne started the tour.

"The west wing is where the wives reside. Lord Harry has a team renovating our suites. The new apartments would have three bedrooms, kitchenette and a sitting room. Naturally Lady Nymphadora, Lady Fleur and I get priority so our rooms were recently completed."

They moved into a smaller but just as grand foyer where Lady Narcissa was waiting with a cool smile on her face.

"Lady Margaret and Astoria Greengrass, it is such a pleasure to see you again," the Malfoy mistress air kissed Daphne's mother before allowing Astoria to curtsey at her.

"Lady Narcissa," Astoria looked pleased to see her future mother-in-law.

Daphne nodded her head in greeting. Although the Malfoy mistress had treated her better than some of the other witches in the harem, Daphne had remained cool and cautious of her. Lavinia's miscarriage and her handling of Harry had shown how fleeting Lady Narcissa's favour could be and how Lady Narcissa could make one's life a bit more difficult inside the Harem wing.

She could already see her sister's sulky pout as Lady Narcissa swept away, heading into the ground floor study that she had claimed for herself. Daphne shook her head. Foolish girl, she thought inwardly. The Malfoys had fallen with Harry's ascension as the undisputed leader of the Magical United Kingdom. The lovesick pining that Astoria displayed for Draco Malfoy and his parents was unbecoming and Daphne let a sneer on her face show it.

Her mother's eyes revealed her dismay and worry before she placed a hand on her younger daughter's forearm. Astoria scowled at her older sister before replacing it with a more neutral expression.

The potential for a good day was ruined and everyone knew it. The three Greengrass women retired to Daphne's apartment; Lady Margaret making the appropriate noises of approval over the quick tour of the large rooms before they settled in the sitting room.

"How is Father?" Daphne started off the routine.

Lady Margaret had just taken a bite of a biscuit and regrettably that meant Astoria jumped in to answer. "He's only waiting for his grandson to be born," The younger Greengrass daughter scoffed before seething, "He's so obsessed with you that he's forgotten that MY marriage has yet to be arranged!"

"Astoria!" Lady Margaret looked suitably horrified as she glanced back at Daphne's icy expression.

Daphne waved aside her mother's apologies and attempts to remonstrate Daphne's younger sister. Clearly this anger had been bubbling under the surface for a long time.

"Go on then."

Daphne knew that her eyes at the moment, despite her mother once describing them as a beautiful shade of indigo, were dark and icy – much like her father's.

The one common trait Astoria and the man she decried to love were that they were not true Slytherins; both were easy to anger and easier still to be goaded into making bad calls or drawn into confrontations.

Astoria had been ready to retort when a dulcet chime stayed her tongue. At the very least, Daphne thought uncharitably, Astoria had absorbed the Slytherin lesson of not showing weakness or unhappiness to outsiders.

Moving over to the fireplace, Daphne used her wand to tap the bricks and lifting the blocking Ward. She was surprised to see Blaise Zabini with a serious face instead of the cocky, devil-may-care look he exuded.

"Lady Daphne, my apologies for interrupting," he started, his eyes falling on her mother and sister before returning to Daphne.

Daphne frowned at the slight hesitation but waved for him to continue. Blaise had never contacted her through her personal Floo which meant he had something of grave importance to tell her. Despite her current disagreement with Astoria, Daphne was certain that the younger woman would keep silent about whatever Blaise was about to divulge.

"I beg you to join the Court this evening. Lord Harry had an unscheduled visitor this afternoon and he has extended an invitation to join the festivities."

Although she was Harry's wife, she did not know much about Harry's schedule and arrangements beyond the harem situation and the occasional meeting or festival plans. An unscheduled visitor did not bode well if Blaise would urge her to join Court.

"Is my presence really necessary?" Daphne pressed the tanned male.

His slanted eyes watched her for a moment, as though he was weighing a decision. "My lady mother chanced upon Harry and the visitor, Daphne. It was Hermione Granger and Harry has welcomed her to stay with him for the time being. I think it is imperative you appear for the festivities tonight if only to do some damage control."

* * *

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW~! :D**


	10. A Treacherous Path

I'm so thrilled to have reached 100 (and over) reviews! I'm not sure if I replied to all reviews but to those I did leave out, thanks for reviewing! :)

I actually rewrote this chapter like four times before taking pieces here and there and adding in new bits to make it flow. I'm sorry if it sounds a little dated but I've been reading a bunch of Tudor/Austen period books (Philippa Gregory, anyone?) and fanfiction and it's probably translated into my writing.. Anyway the ball scene is probably the longest bit I've written so far. I was going to leave it as a whole chapter but I felt that I owe you guys a little something more for waiting. Hope the extra scene at the end made up for the wait!

Again, I'm calling for baby names. Seriously. I have one or two names in mind for Nym's kid but I wouldn't mind changing it if anyone has a better one (with the meaning given if possible) =)

* * *

In Slytherin, Hermione Granger was known as the bushy-haired, buck-toothed beaver. Or Mudblood, depending on whose opinion one sought.

The muggleborn Gryffindor was rather unattractive in terms of appearance during their early school years as attested by the girl's wild and frizzy hair, overly large teeth and mismatched outfits. Although that had changed by the time Granger and Daphne's fourth year had rolled round. Someone, the most likely suspects were Granger's mother and Mdm. Pomfrey, had helped the girl with her startling appearance and dressing, leaving a rather pretty young woman in the bookworm's place.

Blaise had often remarked that it was humorous to watch Weasley number Six fall over his large feet trying, and failing, to impress the studious Gryffindor who clearly preferred Potter over the obnoxious redhead. Pansy used to shrilly imitate Granger's pitiful attempts to charm the oblivious Boy-Who-Lived.

Daphne had laughed at Weasley's pathetic ways and Granger's painfully obvious interest and possessiveness but now she had the most horrible feeling that she was about to be cast in a similar role as theirs if Harry still held a fondness for his long time friend.

"She's on the left, by the glass swan," Blaise' cultured tones cut through her thoughts.

Granting the man the barest hint of a smile, Daphne quickly turned her attention to where Blaise had pointed out.

Granger stood alone, looking extremely discomfited by the grandeur of the large ballroom as well as the inquisitive looks she was receiving from the other guests. Recognizing the deep plum colour of Granger's dress as Hannah Longbottom's signature colour, Daphne frowned at the potential symbolism. Granger was off-limits until she could ascertain Harry and Longbottom's stance towards the muggleborn witch. Daphne mentally reminded herself to be polite with the bossy Gryffindor if they came face-to-face until further notice.

As soon as she spotted Hannah Longbottom, Daphne had decided her plan of action.

Hannah had married Neville Longbottom shortly after the completion of their NEWTs. It had been a bit of a surprise because nobody seemed to know that Neville and Hannah were even friends, much less carried an inkling of interest for one another. Nevertheless it was a respectable marriage for both parties given their impeccable family lineages and Neville's standing in the new world order.

Despite sharing Herbology and Ancient Runes with the Hufflepuffs, Daphne was not well-acquainted with any of her Hufflepuff year-mates until her joining with Harry. Hannah was more Susan's friend than any of the other sister wives but Daphne had made good progress with the Longbottom mistress.

Knowing that Hannah's slightly more gossipy nature might bear fruit to answering her questions, Daphne caught the blonde's eyes and was granted a welcoming smile. Displaying more nonchalance and confidence than she actually felt, Daphne approached the chubby-cheeked blonde.

"Lady Hannah," she air kissed the pretty woman, "How are you and the baby doing?" she asked politely.

Shortly after Nym's pregnancy was announced, the Longbottoms had released their own news that Hannah was expecting the first of the next generation of Longbottoms.

Pregnancy suited Hannah Longbottom, Daphne thought a bit enviously. There was a pleasing glow in her face and the rounded belly did not look out of place or ungainly on her pear-shaped figure. Despite assurances from Nym and her mother that she would eventually regain her old trimness, Daphne constantly worried that her pleasing figure would balloon like an unsightly Quaffle and had reluctantly resigned herself to the eventual disfigurement of her body.

When Daphne deemed enough small talk had been indulged, she shifted their conversation topic to her true objective. "I see you have loaned out your design for to-night," she waved her goblet of juice in the vague direction of Granger.

The warm smile that had graced Hannah's face for the last ten minutes wavered for a moment before becoming a tad more fixed. For an unseasoned courtier, which excluded most of the purebloods and the quick learners and upstarts from the muggleborn and half-blood communities, they might have missed it but Daphne prided herself on her well-trained ability to look for the nuances that most people would missed.

"She is Neville's old friend. There is no way we could have let her attend in a shirt and jeans," Hannah allowed.

Daphne was amused by the answer although she was careful not to show it. Neville Longbottom was the epitome of the loyal Gryffindor and Hannah, as a Hufflepuff, on principle would never abandon a friend, no matter how distant the connection. If Granger was truly a friend of the Longbottoms, both Neville and/or Hannah would be installed by Granger's side all evening to ensure that the bookish Gryffindor would not feel uncomfortable or slighted by the other members of Harry's court should they choose to snub Granger.

Given that neither were by Granger's side, it was safe to assume that she did not carry a favoured status with the Longbottoms. Daphne quickly deducted it was only because Hermione Granger had been a friend to Neville during their Hogwarts days that they had placed her under their protection for tonight by loaning a well-recognized Longbottom trademark.

She could see in her peripherals that Blaise was heading in her direction while her mother and Astoria, as her invited guests, watched impassively from their positions by one of the many buffet tables scattered along the walls. The Greengrass matriarch was to be her eyes and ears for the night but that did not mean that Daphne could let her guard down.

Having hashed out a few plans earlier that evening with Blaise, his approach had been timed to coincide with Harry's first acknowledgement of Granger. Knowing that he was coming to collect her before they made their way to Granger, she was thankful that she was spared having to make a hasty exit when Hannah excused herself before Blaise even reached them.

Blaise bowed – in deference to her status as consort, before they pretended to turn their attention to the dance floor. As per their plan, the duo waited a couple more minutes before cutting across the large ballroom to join Harry and Granger.

Harry's face was welcoming but his eyes showed polite indifference. Daphne took it as a sign that her presence would definitely be welcomed.

"My lord," she curtseyed before rising with as much grace a pregnant woman could have.

A triumphant feeling ran through her body as Harry's eyes, as well as some of the men around them, showed appreciation of the figure she cut. While she was no celebrated beauty like Calliope Zabini, Daphne knew her winning combination of a rosy complexion, beguiling blue eyes framed by thick lashes and a mischievous sort of half-smile had a powerful effect on both boys and men alike.

"Daphne," Harry slid his arm round her waist, drawing her close to him.

Blaise quickly bowed at Harry before the four of them reconvened near an alcove. Daphne could feel a fizzle of magic as people started to give their area a wide berth, granting them some semblance of privacy. Granger's eyes narrowed almost jealously at the display of magic. Harry was talented in the ways of wandless and non-verbal magic and this little show was further testament to it.

"Hermione, this is my wife Lady Daphne and my fellow council member, Blaise Zabini. Daphne, Blaise, meet Hermione Granger."

There was a slight twitch at the corners of Blaise' mouth but he gave a jerky nod at the muggleborn. Having known the man for years, Daphne knew the basic etiquette that was drummed into all purebloods and his need for Harry's continual favour barely outweighed his disdain of muggleborns. Still, she was glad that Harry did not seem to take offence to Blaise' lack of respect.

Thankfully as Harry's wife, she outranked any other female in the large ballroom and did not have to curtsey to Granger. Her smile turned into a smirk as she thrust her left hand forward towards the confused brunette.

"You have to bend over and kiss her hand as a form of greeting and respect, Miss Granger," Blaise chimed in helpfully or unhelpfully, his tone was darkly amused while remaining civil.

Daphne watched as Granger's expression shuffled through outrage, revulsion and unhappiness before settling on sullen. She was tickled by Granger's mumble of a barely polite greeting before the former Gryffindor dropped her rather limp grip on Daphne's fingers.

Immediately Granger swivelled to face Harry. "How can you let this happen?" She asked accusingly.

Granger steamrollered ahead, apparently not waiting or wanting an answer. "This whole Middle Ages behaviour is utterly barbaric and you having seven concubines," She pointed at Daphne, "Who parade as your wives is utterly obsceneand with three of them already pregnant and out of wedlock as well. You're a better man than that, Harry. You should be leading these people in the right direction."

There was a short, uncomfortable silence following her little rant. Blaise's lips were curled into a sneer and Harry's face was unreadable. She supposed she should feel insulted but it was more absurd than disparaging.

Much to her surprise, Harry merely turned to Blaise before enquiring about some trivial council matters as Granger swelled in indignation to the lack of response. Belatedly it occurred to Daphne that she should have either retorted to Granger's baseless comments when Harry looked up and smiled at her.

"I'm sorry. I have been a terrible date. Blaise, Hermione, do excuse us but I believe I owe my wife a couple of dances."

Surprised with Harry's abrupt announcement, Daphne accepted the adoring smile and Harry's proffered arm without protest or by your leave. She was not surprised by Blaise' hasty departure from the group as Harry escorted her onto the dance floor.

As he laced her hand's fingers with his and placed his other on her waist, she stared at Harry in bemusement. "That was not the slightest bit subtle."

Harry was probably aiming for a snobbish look but the effect was ruined by his cheeky grin, "I'm a Gryffindor. We don't do subtle."

Happy to play along, Daphne wrinkled her nose haughtily. "That is a common failing for Gryffindors. I suppose I should be grateful you didn't start a commotion."

The hand that had been resting on her waist tickled her ribs. "Hey! I would let you know that the best scenes have always been created by Gryffindors."

"I don't doubt that," she said before they began a Viennese waltz.

It was a long-standing joke that despite Sirius Black's, Andromeda Tonks' and Lady Dowager Longbottom's extensive tutoring, Harry was at best an abysmal dancer. Her insides were warmed at the narrowed expression on Harry's face as he concentrated on leading her.

Taking pity on her husband, she insisted on taking a break for the baby and herself as soon as it was socially acceptable to do so. As usual, Harry jumped to be of assistance. He ushered her to the ballroom's Harem corner and after being assured that she was not in need of Healer Andromeda's services or needed to retire, Harry opted to sit with her instead of making his rounds of the ballroom.

The flash of plum fabric reminded her of her original mission but not for the first time, she felt twinges of doubt and apprehension.

Harry valued his privacy immensely. Despite having been married to him for nearly ten months, she was no closer to knowing much about the man with emerald eyes.

There will be another time, a better timing, she told herself sternly. Tonight was about making a stand against dissenters by playing the pretty, pregnant and devoted wife.

Despite her initial fear over Granger, it was clear that she had not been invited by Harry nor had he been expecting her. Daphne was not sure about how she felt about it but she shelved her thoughts when Harry cupped her face and kissed her sweetly.

"Blessed Ostara, Daphne."

* * *

Without even having to look at a mirror, Daphne instinctively knew that she was smiling to herself again. The dewy expression on her face annoyed her immensely but her cheeks burned whenever she recalled the reason behind it. It was just a kiss, Daphne scolded herself.

Collapsing back onto the mound of pillows that adorned the head of her bed, she let the memory of her Ostara kiss consume her mind for another moment. It wasn't the most mind-blowing kiss or the most romantic of settings so why was she all bothered by it?

It was probably just the excitement of the evening and her emotions running high, Daphne decided before discarding all thoughts on it. There was no time to think about kisses or magical moments.

Granger, despite her faux pas at Ostara, was still a regular face at Potter Castle. While Harry did not show any scorn or dislike for her, he was merely cordial to her face and an occasional meal time companion to the Muggleborn. Luna and Susan were quick to be welcoming but Granger had quickly spurned their company to devoting hours and hours in the library or hanging around the Council Chamber, as everyone called the large study that Harry and his council members often convened in.

The lamp light flickered for a brief moment and the gauzy, shimmery fabric of her Ostara dress glimmered from her open wardrobe. Daphne let her eyes roam over the dress that Harry thought suited her very well.

Her mother had often praised Daphne's eyes as her best feature and it was with this knowledge that Daphne often planned her wardrobe. The dress she had worn last night had been one of her favourites when she had been choosing the fabrics and colours.

Harry had complimented how the colour suited her. Harry's compliment was far more gratifying than any other male had complimented how well she looked. It was then she realized that Harry had not been talking about how good she looked in the outfit but rather how the colour had complemented _her_.

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**As always, please review! :)**


	11. To Live And To Learn

I know, I know, such a shocker that I'm updating after a week. I really wish I can update this on a regular basis but there are periods when I don't even have time to sit down and think up a chapter. But for now, I'll try to make it weekly! :)

To some readers who have PM-ed or left reviews regarding the whole story being so old-fashioned, I'm afraid that that's how the story is going to be. While I commend T. H. Enesley for the constructive feedback, there are others who have not been as polite about it. Frankly I'm a bit tired of repeating it over and over again so I'll explain my reasoning (aside from liking the whole shebang) behind the Tudor/Regency/Victorian period setting.

Change cannot come overnight. I live in Singapore and while its size is probably comparable to HPverse's wizarding population, it took a few generations to get where we are today. In my opinion (and this alternate universe) Harry is incapable of modernizing the WW overnight without severe backlash and fearing a coup from the people, particularly the purebloods who have proven that they are fanatical and dangerous enemies to have both on the battleground and political field (e.g. Tom Riddle/LV, Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange). It is not impossible for modernization to come but it is a limitation that Harry, and his people, have accepted during this period of Daphne's life.

There are many stories, some of which are really good, that have gone with the story plot of rapid expansion/revolutionizing and that's fine because it's their stories to mould. If you want a story like that, I'm sure you can find one that suits your preference.

* * *

The days moved with alarming speed. March soon ended and April was upon them. With a little more than three months to go, Daphne's worst fear had come true. While her pregnancy had not been obvious in the first half of her pregnancy, she had rapidly ballooned over the last couple of weeks.

Lady Narcissa, of all people, had clucked semi-sympathetically before kindly telling her that the same thing had happened to her when she was pregnant with Draco before promptly recommending a multitude of potions and diets that Daphne should start on if she wanted a safe pregnancy and her old figure back quickly.

Teddy's birthday was a welcome break for everyone. There weren't many wizarding children born in the last few years and given that Teddy had been a social outcast; his birth father was a werewolf; his mother had been a disgraced Black descendant for the first half of his life, he had little chance to interact with other children.

The re-instatement of Andromeda Black-Tonks, and subsequently her daughter, and the fact that Nym would be the first Potter consort to give birth meant that Teddy's third birthday was full of children and their social-climbing parents.

Given how he spent majority of his time with his mother or maternal grandmother, Daphne assumed he would have been rather bewildered by the horde of shrieking children but the boy had been quick to join in the festivities hosted in his honour.

As her wont, Daphne clutched a water goblet as she observed the group of women tittering around Nym. Although she already had a son, many ladies, and occasionally, men had sent gifts or made an effort with Nym if only to get the pregnant Metamorphmagus to consider their marriage proposals of their daughters for her unborn son.

Typically Nym had laughed and waved away all proposals with a statement that it was possibly a girl she was incubating. Much to her surprise, the proposals did not subside but had in fact doubled with both sons and daughters offered for her baby's hand in matrimony.

Daphne herself was no stranger to it. While it was not as pressing or of much urgency as it was for Nym's baby, she had a steady stream of letters and invitations for her own perusal. Many an afternoon, she and Nym would spend a fair bit of time sifting through contracts over tea and cakes while happily chatting and exchanging stories and occasionally pompous letters from an overconfident wizard or witch.

It would be clear to anyone by then that Nym harboured no dream or hope for her son to sit on Harry's throne. Given Teddy's, and his mother's, preference for adventure, it was rather hard to imagine any child of Nym's sitting through political talks without squirming or being a royal nuisance.

Nevertheless it was a weight that Nym would never carry and she looked more carefree and happier for it. Sometimes Daphne would hate herself or Nym for being so cheerful while she constantly worried about her own position but she were to be honest with herself, Daphne _craved_ this competition. It gave her a sense of purpose, of direction that no heiress title could afford and for now it soothed her that she had a mission.

Her gaze wandered over the large grassy expanse. Andromeda had insisted on using her home as the party venue. She was certain Harry would have objected but clearly he had not. Neither Harry nor Sirius was present, at least officially – Daphne was certain they were cleverly disguised in the faceless crowd but Sirius Black had a knack for Transfiguration and deception. Daphne was not one to give up easily but she knew her energies were better spent on making nice with court members or dropping a good word or two for her allies instead of searching for the Lord Black or Harry.

Gulping down her drink, she approached the Wyndhams. When Daphne was eight, her father and Alasdair's father, Hugh Wyndham, had been in discussions for Daphne to marry Hugh Wyndham's only son.

Her maternal grandmother was the sister of Hugh's father and the idea that her granddaughter would rejoin her family line was extremely pleasing to the elderly witch. Daphne had spent a couple of summers at the Wyndham family manor while they pushed for a marriage agreement but eventually Alasdair had been contracted to a pureblood witch closer to his age, leaving Daphne's grandmother disappointed and her own father angry at the wasted time and effort but Daphne had been relieved to have delayed such a fate.

It was a rather distant family connection to chase but Alasdair Wyndham did not seem to mind as he ushered her to meet his family.

"Tis' good to have family anywhere you go," he cheerfully informed her before pointing out his brood to her.

"My boys, Archibald and Gregory," he waved carelessly at two redheaded boys before brightening and gesturing to his left, "My wife, Daisy and my little girl, Moira."

Daphne belatedly realized where this was going. Keeping a polite smile on her face, she allowed proper introductions to be made. Alasdair dominated the conversation; praising both her beauty and wit every now and then, tossing in a couple of boastful comments about his older boy and adding a few flowery statements of his daughter in between discussing recent court events and announcements.

Thankfully Alasdair was the sort of man who could prattle on without much input from others and Daphne wisely used her time to observe his family.

His wife was rather unremarkable. Pretty features but she mostly kept her eyes downwards and except for the occasional pursing of her lips, Daphne might have dismissed her as a meek ornament.

His sons were not of age to be in Hogwarts but other than that deduction, Daphne could not gauge their exact ages. Archibald, much like his father, had a winsome, boyish face and Daphne was certain he would be able to lead a clique, if not acquire a fan club, when he got to Hogwarts. They did remind her of her own childhood with Astoria though – playing one moment and squabbling, the next.

She saved Moira Wyndham for last. She could not be older than Teddy but Daphne was impressed that the little girl stood fairly stoically between her parents as her father tried to sell his daughter as one would sell an Aethonan. Occasionally the girl's eyes would flicker almost enviously at her roughhousing brothers before returning her gaze towards 'Aunt' Daphne.

An overwhelming sense of pity flooded through her. It was not uncommon for pureblood parents to find a match which boasted of good connections and wealth, Daphne herself had been paraded around as a potential bride until her mother confirmed she could no longer bear children and Cyril Greengrass had named Daphne his heir.

She stilled the hand that was drifting to stroke her belly. While she knew she had become rather protective of her unborn child, she still had to maintain her aloof façade that was expected of her.

"I'm sure Moira would be a delightful acquaintance. Perhaps when they are older, they can interact with each other?"

It was a standard excuse that Daphne had heard over the years. The Malfoys, for one, had fobbed that same excuse when her father had tried to start negotiations for Astoria's marriage. Even though it was her directing the excuse to someone else, the bland statement still set her teeth on edge. She could now sympathize why her father had reacted badly (in private, naturally) to it.

There was a quick flash of annoyance but it was quickly covered by Alasdair's wide smile and genial mannerisms. Feeling yet another stab of sympathy for the young girl, Daphne dropped a couple of praises of Moira's poise and prettiness before retreating back to the house.

If she had been contemplating a marriage negotiation for her baby before, this would have killed all thoughts on it. Her child would have the opportunity to fall in love with anyone he desired and marry the girl of his dreams. She would not take away his freedom of choice; she doubted she could forgive herself if she did so.

* * *

The Battle of Hogwarts was a day that would forever mar the well-renowned, established institution. The school boasted a richness of culture, history and tradition and was once touted as the safest place in Britain. Hogwarts, like all fortresses were wont to do so, had fallen from within.

School rivalry had grown rampant following the second rise of Voldemort. The school had split into two factions – the Light side and the Death Eater scum.

Neutral parties, like Blaise and herself, could no longer stand at the sidelines. Many families, Muggleborn or pureblood, had withdrawn their children from school. Daphne had watched her mother unsuccessfully plead with her father to withdraw her and Astoria. It was a decision that none of them could regret for eleven weeks after Daphne's fifth year had started, Death Eaters began raiding homes and often torturing or killing the families that resided there.

Her father had packed up Greengrass Manor before taking her mother and fleeing Britain, leaving Astoria in her care and nowhere to go. Daphne, like many other students, had not gone home for Christmas or Ostara and had hesitantly put her name down for the summer holidays as the war gained intensity.

Who knew that the final standoff of the Second war with Voldemort would be at Hogwarts?

Daphne had been very fortunate. With Portia Blightwood, the Seventh year female Prefect, leading a neutral faction in the Slytherin dorms, the older Slytherin had somehow managed to get confirmation of the coming attack. The neutral party had quietly evacuated in the cover of the night. Portia and Quigley Grimebell, another Seventh year, had negotiated with the Ravenclaw Prefects to look the other way when they encountered the large group before the neutral party of Slytherin barricaded themselves in what would have been the History of Magic professor's suite of rooms.

Professor Hooch had stormed just after dawn, much to everyone's surprise, to ask for any wand willing to help defend Hogwarts. Daphne had pleaded to any deity that her sister would not be Gryffindor-ish and volunteer on what seemed like a suicide mission. It was then that Daphne had realized Blaise and Tracey, amongst others, had readily joined the Flying instructor and was watching the rest of them with grim eyes.

She had weighed her options quickly. She was not a fighter, it wasn't in her blood – the Greengrasses were diplomats through and through. While she had an arsenal of offensive and defensive spells at the ready, she was still a Slytherin at heart. She would not be battling at the frontlines but neither would she allow anyone to say she was a coward.

"I will stay and defend the younger ones," she had announced at large.

Portia Blightwood had nodded approvingly before unsheathing her own wand and joining Daphne's side. Daphne allowed herself to fade into the backdrop as the older girl barked out orders as Blaise's group left to join the main resistance force.

She would not recall witnessing Portia jumping in front of a curse aimed at Ajax Latimer, one of Astoria's year mates, during the unexpected ambush but she would remember the smell of scorching flesh when Vincent Crabbe attempted to use Fiendfyre on them and it had turned on him instead; flashing spells whizzing back and forth as the fighting spilled out from inside the cramped teacher's quarters to the corridors.

Daphne had not witnessed Harry's triumph but the aftermath and subsequent clean up had left Daphne with a hollowed feeling that Hogwarts could never offer her a sense of comfort again.

Most of the funerals and restoration had come and gone by the time her seventh year rolled round. She had been tempted to sit for her NEWTs privately but given her father's new political stance of backing the Boy-Who-Lived, and newly dubbed Man-Who-Won, she had little choice but to return to the dungeons of Hogwarts for another year.

The marble memorial was unveiled on the first anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. Daphne, as a current student then, had no choice to attend. It was a beautiful piece of art though.

The names of the heroes and victims were inscribed on the smooth marble. Professor McGonagall, the then interim Headmistress, then tapped her wand on Professor Pomona Sprout's name. It was to the crowd's amazement that a cube of filmy-looking smoke materialized before an unmoving shot of the woman's face and her name, birth and death details were formed from the smoke.

Daphne had not attended any of the vigils during the second anniversary but this year Narcissa had announced that as Emperor Harry's consorts, they would be expected to be seen attending a ceremony or making a visit to the memorial which was why on the eve of the anniversary date, Daphne had made the trip back to Hogwarts.

On further inspection of the white marble, she could see that names had been printed in a flowing calligraphy script. She circled the towering pillar, her eyes picking out names that she recognized from her years at Hogwarts.

Su Li.

Geoffrey Oldham.

Maeve Kinsley.

Kevin Entwhistle.

Naomi Matsumoto.

Lavender Brown.

Portia Blightwood.

Reaching out almost unseeingly, she let her fingers trace over Portia's name. Daphne had not been particularly close to her Slytherin senior but she would honestly admit that it took a lot of bravery for the young pureblood witch to stand against the majority of her House members as well as family. Portia had taken a step further and sacrificed her life to save an innocent schoolboy. It went against everything a Slytherin ought to be but in the last moments of Portia's life, she had been selfless, _noble._

People like Portia Blightwood deserved to be recognized and honored. Portia had been near ruthless in her dealings with people from other Houses, she was not the kind or affectionate sort of person but in the moments that counted, Portia had been a true leader, a hero of sorts.

"You know, most people would think it rather disturbing for a pregnant woman to caress a tombstone like a lover."

Daphne's musing broken; she turned to glare at the intruder for interrupting her solitude. A smirk grew on her face.

"By Morgana, if it isn't Miss Tracey Davis and late as always."

The young woman flicked her ash-blonde hair back before grinning at Daphne. "Someone has to be fashionably late."

* * *

Just a quick note - an Aethonan is one of the many breeds of winged horses mentioned in HPverse.

Also, if anyone can recommend some good HP stories that Harry is capable of using his brain and does not have Harry paired with Ginny or Hermione at ANY given time, I'd appreciate it.

**As usual, please review! :)**


	12. Making An Overture

Wow, this is the longest scene I've written for this story so far. There was another part for this chapter but when this scene grew, I took it out because it didn't fit this chapter anymore.

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It would be a surprise to most people but she and Tracey only became friends in their second year. It was rather unfortunate but her Slytherin year mates had made their alliances years before they had stepped foot into Hogwarts.

Daphne herself had been no exception. Her original circle of friends had included Lilith Moon, a fellow first year, Willow Appleby, a third year and Aaron Hawke, a stern-looking fourth year. She had been grateful for Lilith because Pansy and Millicent Bulstrode, who were their fellow Slytherin first years and second cousins, and had taken an us-against-them stance against the rest of the first year Slytherins, leaving Daphne, Lilith and Tracey stranded.

It must have been a very lonely year for Tracey. Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were suspicious of them and Ravenclaws tended to keep their distance except in the neutral ground of the library. The hierarchy in Slytherin meant that Tracey, as a half-blood with little fortune or fame to speak of, was a little better than a muggleborn in terms of rank.

That being said, Daphne's first year at Hogwarts was not any better. The relationship she had with Lilith was cordial at best. Other than Lilith's birth date and her study, dietary and sleep habits, there was very little else she knew about the other Slytherin girl. At the end of her first year, Daphne had watched rather enviously as other students swapped Floo addresses and made holiday plans before spending her entire summer in near isolation at Greengrass manor.

It was only when Lilith had fallen ill with Dragonpox during Yule of their second year and during the fourteen weeks that she had been absent from school that Daphne had taken to sitting with Tracey in class. Their tentative friendship grew as they continued to pair up for lessons and sat together during meals until one night Tracey had presented Daphne with a hand-made friendship band.

Given that Daphne's experiences or lack thereof, she had been wary about accepting the gift. Instead of feeling offended, the then twelve year old blonde had revealed a matching bracelet on her own wrist and had shyly expressed her happiness in making a gift for her new friend.

Surprised but touched at the gift, Daphne had slowly opened up to the blonde and by the time Lilith was due to return, they had been inseparable. It was rather mean of Daphne but she had been relieved when Lilith's parents had chosen to withdraw their daughter from Hogwarts (rather than bear the shame of their child having to repeat second year if Lilith did return) as it allowed Daphne to devote her time to her one true friend.

It was probably with that in mind, Daphne had approached Hermione Granger one evening. The Potter library, only known to favoured courtiers and friends of the family and warded against the general population, was usually empty on weekends. Daphne had quickly noticed, during her weekly visits to the library, that Granger had practically taken up residence there when she realized that Harry was unusually busy and seldom had time to entertain his old friend.

The young woman was hurtling towards some sort of mental breakdown as she went out of her way to lecture about 'barbaric behaviour' and 'degrading acts of humanity' while stepping on plenty of toes, friends and strangers alike. In Granger's mad effort to explain her way of thought, she had pushed everyone away, leaving her a social pariah in a young but growing kingdom.

"Granger," Daphne greeted neutrally.

The brunette eyed her with thinly-veiled suspicion but made no comment as Daphne took a seat opposite her. Another woman might have felt disgruntled by the lack of civility and mistrusting looks but Daphne had opted to skim through the Warding book she was reading from, deliberately ignoring Granger's level gaze.

"What do you want?" While Granger's face was borderline hostile, it did not hide the curiosity in her eyes.

"I just wanted to let you know how incredibly stupid you are being and that you should stop your tirades and insolence before you lose what few friendships you have."

Granger reared back, as though Daphne had physically slapped her. Indignation practically leaked out of her as soon as she recovered from Daphne's comment.

"You can't be serious," Hermione stared at her incredulously, "The way you people behave is primitive and immoral. Britain already has a royal family but Harry is parading around like he's the King of England. Furthermore his people have abolished the Ministry of Magic – who's going to maintain the Statute of Secrecy and other governmental policies? Why should we throw all authority and power to him just because he defeated V-Voldemort."

"Granger," she interrupted the other girl, "If you just stop harping about what you believe is wrong and look at what the problems and solutions actually are, you would be able to understand what Harry and his council are doing."

The other girl looked extremely vexed but Daphne held up a hand to hold off whatever Granger intended to say.

"Since the magical world split from the muggle world, our ancestors have never sworn sovereignty to whatever royal family that presides over muggle Britain. Harry does not presume to be the King of England but he is practically the sovereign lord of Britain and Scotland's wizarding people."

A little part of Daphne would be lying if she had felt remorseful when she had to use a Silencing charm to stop Granger from trying to cut in. Daphne could feel the sizzle of Granger's magic trying to undo her spell but she pushed more power into her own magic, unable to stop a triumphant smirk as the Silencing spell held. Unable to remove the Silencing charm, Granger huffed silently before crossing her arms and waited for Daphne to continue.

"Did you know Merlin was regarded as the lord of his kinsmen? He was just a bastard child who would live and died an unremarkable person except for his ability to harness and use magic with great results. Harry's case is no different. He would have been recorded as another Lord Potter in history except that he defeated a Dark lord twice and freed us from a corrupted, oppressive government, the people look unto him like how the Celts looked for guidance from Merlin."

Absentmindedly twirling her wand, Daphne smiled in amusement. "The purebloods are willing to accept Harry as their undisputed ruler, simply because Harry is the wizard with the most power while the half-bloods and muggleborn are willing to rebuild a new world with a man who is not only talented in the ways of magic but is still humble and able to connect with the common folk.

"It's a bit hypocritical that when it suited the Light side, it was acceptable for Harry to be paraded around as a Champion for the Light but when he was capable of running his own show, Dumbledore and his lot were the first to decry his actions as Dark or acts of damnation," Daphne shook her head as she tried to get back on topic.

"The wizarding world's foundation was shaky at best when Harry took on the Ministry. Do you know what would happen to muggleborns like you if purebloods like the Malfoys or the Averys took over? You'll be branded like slaves, sold to pureblood men as playthings or taken from your parents to be raised as servants or shop assistants. Hogwarts would function as a breeding ground for building contacts and family alliances, grooming young men and women for the political stage of adulthood. The means that Harry and Lord Black undertook to save us from such a future may not be palatable to Dumbledore and his people but it certainly was more than Dumbledore doing nothing and hoping that men like Malfoy would somehow be enlightened and abandon the horrors of the cruelty they embrace.

"The council and the Wizengamot are not a fully functioning government but certainly you can admit that Harry will do what is right and good for the people and not what would be most beneficial to him or his ilk. Despite how well-liked Harry is, he is not a god but only a man. It is well-known that there is no way to appease everyone."

Gryffindors seem to never hide their emotions, Daphne thought to herself. She could practically see shame, disgust and understanding warring for dominance on Granger's face before it settled on a determined frown. Daphne could see how much the other girl wanted to say something so she willingly flicked off the Silencing spell. Granger gave her a reproachful look but she ignored it.

"Even if that were true, it doesn't give Harry any excuse to practice," at this point Granger's eyes swivelled to glance at Daphne's large bump, "this obscene pretence of having multiple wives. The poor children will have to bear the burden of illegitimacy for the rest of their lives. As a pureblood, you would know that offspring from unwed parents cannot inherit any wealth or property in the wizarding world."

Slightly impressed that Granger had done some research in pureblood traditions, Daphne was a little more confident in being able to deliver her intended message to the brunette.

"How much do you know about the old practices and traditions?"

"Enough to know that it is extremely antiquated," was Granger's glib reply.

"Impertinence would get you nowhere," Daphne chided the bookworm before considering her next sentence. Granger had proven that despite the Hippogriff-sized load of knowledge that Daphne had elucidated, if it did not suit her argument, Granger was bound to tune it out.

"Britain suffered from many magical wars in the 1200s to 1500s with many young men perishing in pursuit of victory. When muggles started their Witch hunts, many more magical children were seized and executed due to their inability to control their growing magic. The Ministry of that time then permitted multiple marriages, allowing families with a single heir to marry more than one wife to secure the continuance of their lines. However the allowance for multiple marriages was perverted as it became a luxury for nobility and the wealthy because not many families could afford to pay for multiple dowries or maintain their growing Houses. This allowance fell out of use nearly two centuries ago when many families started adding clauses in the marriage agreements to prohibit multiple marriages.

"When Harry took all nine of us to be his wives, it wasn't just for a play of power or wealth or something he took up on a whim. The Potter family was once considered one of the greatest wizarding families in Britain. As the last Potter remaining, Harry must have felt the pressure to ensure his ancestors' legacy did not die with him or the next generation.

"Before you argue about women's rights," the two words sounded foreign to Daphne but Tracey had insisted she use it on Granger so she pushed on, "The Potter legacy is more than a thousand years old. It is a patriarchal inheritance founded during a conservative time period. Harry would be powerless to prevent the extinction of the Potter line if he only had daughters. He is simply fulfilling his role as the sole surviving Potter. As Harry's friend, you of all people should know that Harry is not the sort of person who would condemn another for such petty reasons nor would he resort to such measures if he did not have to."

If she wasn't feeling sorry for the bookworm, Daphne might have been amused at the way Granger practically wilted at her comment. Placing a few books on the table for Granger's perusal, Daphne stood up and walked towards the library exit.

She was almost at the doorway when a small voice broke the silence. "Why did you even come over?"

Granger still looked defensive so Daphne decided that honesty would probably work best. "You looked lonely," Daphne told the muggleborn witch before she ducked out of the library.

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**As always please review! :)**

PS - I'm not bashing Hermione. This AU is one where the Golden Trio eventually went separate ways with Harry and Hermione having grown apart for the last few years, leading her to develop or amplify some undesirable qualities.


	13. All That Glisters Is Not Gold

Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I swear there were a few that left me grinning for days. This chapter's a bit of a doozy because I rewrote this piece EIGHT times. No joke - I have eight different drafts for this chapter. My boyfriend thinks I'm just nitpicking for no reason and at some points I did consider whether he was right but I did enjoy the attempts (after the initial frustration) and it led to this chapter being my longest so far so here's to hoping you readers will enjoy it too! :)

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The sound of Tracey clearing her throat broke the silence that pervaded Daphne's suite since Luna and Amber practically bounced into Daphne's apartment to spread the joyous news of Nym and Lord Harry's newborn son.

"Just go and visit Nymphadora. I'll wait for you here then we can go down to the hall together." Tracey told her.

Daphne nearly winced out of pity for Nym. It should have been well-known by now that Nym hated her full given name but it was used regularly outside of her immediate circle of friends and family alike. Although Tonks had been Nym's maiden name; in an effort to further obliterate any outstanding doubt of Nym's first marriage and, more importantly, subsequent widowhood – she had first been re-styled as Nymphadora, daughter of House Black and then later Nymphadora, consort of House Potter.

It was a rather large gossip piece shortly after the collapse of the Ministry of Magic. The Malfoys wanted to contest Sirius Black's choice of heir on the basis that Draco Malfoy had equal, if not more, right to be the Black heir by virtue of his closer relation to the Black line and the fact that he was older than Harry.

During the early days of the trial, Daphne had suspected that a couple of the legal obstacles that Lucius Malfoy had placed in Harry and Sirius Black's paths had been provided by her father. After all Cyril Greengrass would have stood to gain, as future father-in-law to Draco Malfoy, if the Malfoys managed to secure the Black fortune but it was all for naught. The Malfoys, of all people, should have been expected that Harry Potter would somehow pull a fast one on them but nobody, not even Chief Warlock and highly revered Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, had expected Harry and Sirius Black's delivery of their winning triumph of Harry's betrothal of Nymphadora Black – a woman whose claims countered Draco Malfoy's even before Harry could deliver his own counterclaims.

Her father had seethed for days before expounding on all the time and Galleons spent, contacts from all walks of life had been utilized and legal texts Lucius Malfoy and his legal team had pored over to make for a case, only for Potter and Black to exercise a centuries-old loophole (the very same loophole that Sirius Black's parents had exploited, her father bitterly ranted at length) that enabled the union of the Metamorphmagus and Lord Harry in order to subvert the rights of inheritance for House Black.

She blinked when she realized that she had stopped just outside Nym's suite. Daphne had been inside plenty of times and the young woman who resided inside was a gracious and welcoming host to both invited and uninvited guests but it felt different now.

Nym was the mother of Harry's child, his firstborn son.

If Daphne was in Luna's shoes, it probably didn't mean a lick. In a way Daphne agreed but politically it left her and her baby stranded. Her baby would always be second, if not third depending on whether Fleur gave Harry another boy. Like all families, there was not much in way for a second or third son growing up or following their father's death.

The Greengrass fortune, or what passed for it now, was miniscule in comparison to the Potters, the Blacks, the Malfoys or the Longbottoms, to name a few. There was the plot of farmland where the large Greengrass manor stood and the Greengrass vault in Gringotts that contained a couple of heirlooms and dowries and small fortunes her Greengrass ancestors had managed to accumulate over time but despite her pureblood lineage, the Greengrass holdings were barely acceptable for a notable House. No matter how honourable or loving Harry would be to her children, her son, or sons if she was fortunate enough to bear more than one, would suffer if Harry could only leave a small bequest or a token sum for the army of children that he was bound to have.

Whatever the case, Nym's baby boy would remain secure by virtue of birth order and gender, Daphne thought almost sourly. Wiping the near scowl off her face, she let her features relax into a pleasant look before entering Nym's bedroom.

Nym looked well-rested and cheerful enough for someone who had given birth just a day earlier. Daphne had a feeling that she herself would be in a foul mood the entire month following child birth but that was something she preferred not to think about. There was a curtained off area on the other side of the bed with the outline of a bassinet pressed against the translucent cloth but Daphne headed to greet the older witch first.

"Congratulations on your newborn," Daphne said.

Daphne honestly did mean it. Despite her own depressing thoughts, she was happy for the older witch for the safe arrival of a healthy baby. It also helped that there was a motherly gentleness to the Metamorphmagus that Daphne was comforted by.

"Thank you. Would you like to see him?"

Surprising even herself, Daphne found herself nodding before propping herself opposite the witch on the bed. A sombre-faced house elf came over, a bundle of blankets half in its spindly arms but mostly supported by the elf's own magic. The elf looked fiercely protective as she reluctantly relinquished the baby to his mother, Daphne made a mental note to search for a personal house elf for her unborn baby as soon as possible. She watched in quiet wonderment as the older witch expertly re-tucked the blankets round the newborn before cooing softly at the baby. Nym then shifted the swaddled baby around for Daphne to take a look.

The boy may have only been a day old but it was apparent that he had inherited his mother's Metamorphmagus abilities as strands of what little hair the baby had continued to cycle through colours as Daphne inspected the sleepy newborn.

Daphne had never seen a newborn baby up close in all her twenty years. Or at least not that she could recall. She had been too young to remember Astoria's birth – she vaguely remembered her maternal grandmother telling her to hope for a boy but she had stubbornly insisted she wanted a sister to play with. Thankfully her child-self had enough self-preservation not to mention it to her father when he expressed his extreme unhappiness and disappointment when he was presented with yet another daughter but she did not remember much more than that.

"Have you and Harry settled on a name?" Daphne asked curiously.

Another question that had plagued her for the near entirety of her pregnancy was her baby's name. Daphne had committed to memory a list of names that she favoured and Harry had asked her once or twice on her preference but she had demurred on giving him an answer, preferring not to jinx herself by settling on a name prematurely.

After all, her own mother had happily picked out an even dozen male names for both her pregnancies, only to have two daughters. Furthermore she wanted a name that would suit her child, unlike the case of Pansy Parkinson who had looked more like a pug than a pretty flower. Usually Daphne would have dismissed it as a silly whim but with her baby's impending birth only two months away, it plagued her mind more often than not.

"James. James Altair Potter-Black," Nym smiled lovingly at her son before offering Daphne a closer look.

Almost shyly, Daphne gently stroked the fine hairs on the top of the baby's head. As though disgruntled by her actions, the baby opened his eyes as he began snuffling. His eyes, surprisingly, were not the hazy blue of a newborn but a clear hazel colour.

"He has my dad's eyes."

Thank Morgana that Nym was the one holding the baby. Daphne had startled at the new voice but Nym had merely shifted to make room for the newcomer before focusing her attention on the baby.

Harry immediately sat down next to Nym as he peered at the fussing newborn.

Watching Harry coo at the newborn before kissing Nym's cheek left an uncomfortable roiling in her stomach. While she was a constant recipient of his admiring looks and sweet kisses, the awed and loving expression on his face for Nym left Daphne feeling uncomfortable.

Her father's prediction had been proven right. Partially due to his pitiful childhood with his Muggle relatives and the lack of other blood relations, Harry adored children and desired for family. As the noble sort, Harry would feel indebted to Nym in particular because she gave him his firstborn child.

"Excuse me," she murmured before she hastily fled from the room.

Tracey had not said anything upon her arrival but it was likely more because her parents were waiting in her sitting room. Inwardly Daphne groaned. It was clear that her father wanted her to make an appearance in the Grand Hall. Reluctantly she changed into a suitable robe before the four of them made their way down.

* * *

Much like the kings of old, Harry was like the sun and the court revolved around him. There were always favours to be asked, information to be traded and disseminated and general basking in Harry's powerful presence. Granger would usually snort and mumble something about headless sheep but Daphne tried not to pay the surly muggleborn witch much attention. Today, however, the Grand Hall and the ballrooms were bursting with cheer and drinks despite Harry's absence.

Cyril Greengrass' lips curled into an unattractive sneer. "Typical riff-raff, celebrating a birth of a baby like it's the second coming of Merlin."

Daphne remained quiet. Her father would be singing a different tune if it was her son that they were toasting for. Margaret Greengrass' eyes were full of sympathy for her older daughter before following her husband towards the Grand Hall. In spite of his private opinion, Cyril Greengrass, like every other courtier, would be making an appearance tonight.

Standing in the semi-dark alcove, Daphne watched as the crowd swelled in numbers as more and more people spilled out in the public areas of Potter Castle. She shrunk further back into the curtains as two men walked past discussing the news with great enthusiasm.

What was the protocol for a royal consort when their beloved spouse had had a baby with one of his other consorts? There was no precedent – not even those with long and noble or pureblood heritages had an answer; and none of the other consorts had any clue. She had consulted her parents briefly but neither of them could give her an answer either.

She had spotted Cornelia, Susan, Amber and Luna earlier that evening mingling with the crowd. Anna had accompanied Granger to the library while Lavinia and Fleur were still in their rooms, both refusing to leave. She had half a mind to go back to her own suite but Tracey quickly grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

Daphne felt a frisson of gratefulness to Tracey. Although her bluntness and non-pureblood status had made the other girl a social pariah in Slytherin, Daphne could only thank Morgana for giving Daphne a good friend in the form of Tracey.

She still hesitated at the sight of the drink-happy and loud crowd. Numbly accepting a goblet from Tracey, she plastered a smile before working her way round the hall.

Thankfully or embarrassingly (Daphne would never figure out which one was worst), an exuberant wizard had suddenly raised his own goblet in the air. "To the little Prince!"

"The Prince!" someone seconded.

A lady's tempered cadence broke through the loud cheering, "Many blessings to the young lord!"

Her insides felt frozen but she followed suit as she toasted her own goblet and took a sip as she watched the crowd's reaction. It was by chance that she caught her father's piercing stare and she really wished she had not. His eyes smouldered with barely-contained anger and accusation though as they flickered around the hall derisively before returning to meet her gaze. _Do you see how much they already love the Potter heir? It should have been, could have been yours. _

Breaking eye contact, Daphne waited until the round of toasting was over before exiting the hall. Nipping into a room in the next hallway, she took a moment to calm herself from the sudden onslaught of emotions. Her father really brought out the worst and weakest parts of her, she thought rather ruefully.

Desiring another few minutes of quiet, she glanced around the room interestedly. The study was rather dim with only a few candle lamps that were set to a low lighting. It was rather homely with an entire wall of books and knick-knacks. There were a couple of framed photographs on the large desk and Daphne walked over, curious to identify the room's occupant.

The silver frame, at first glance, looked rather plain before Daphne picked out some pretty carvings of constellations interspersed with flowers and runes. She was rather surprised at the people in the photograph. It was a wedding photo of William Weasley and Aurora Sinistra, the Hogwarts' Astronomy Professor and current Head of House for Slytherin.

They were a very good-looking couple; Daphne picked up another photo frame that caught her eye. The photograph-couple smile beatifically up at her. There was a disturbance at the corner of the frame before a dark haired, dark-skinned toddler in a pretty dress popped into view and squeezing in between the couple with a happy grin.

"If you were one of those silly strumpets looking for William, I would have blasted you out of my husband's study without a shred of remorse. But I highly doubt you are here for a tryst. I do hope I am wrong, Daphne Greengrass."

Daphne whirled around before bending her knees to give the barest hint of a curtsey. "Lady Weasley."

White teeth gleamed brightly from the lipstick-covered half-smirk, "Just Aurora would do."

Daphne nodded, "Likewise."

"You know it's rude to snoop around in someone else's private space."

Feeling a little embarrassed at being caught, Daphne placed the photo frame back on the desk while carefully avoiding the older woman's eyes. "I apologize. I needed to get away from the crowd and I was… curious."

The svelte brunette closed the study door before perching herself on the edge of an armchair, gesturing for Daphne to join her. A tray of tea and biscuits appeared the moment Daphne settled herself in the armchair across Aurora. Accepting a cup of tea, Daphne took another glance around the room as they waited for their tea to cool.

There was another photograph on the mantle of the small fireplace. Aurora Sinistra and the young toddler were similarly dressed and it made for a cute photograph when they both waved before blowing a kiss just off-centre. "Your daughter is very pretty."

The curve of Aurora's mouth relaxed into a quick smile. "Thank you. Gloria would be pleased to know of an admirer."

"Glory," Daphne mused, "I take it your daughter was born in May."

Aurora Sinistra eyed her for a moment before giving her a sharp nod. Realizing it was a touchy subject, Daphne turned her attention to her tea, surreptitiously casting a spell to check for any tampering before taking a sip. If Aurora had noticed Daphne's actions, she did not voice it.

"Before all of this, what sort of marriage did you expect yourself to be in?" Aurora did not look at her, instead focusing her attention at the photograph on the mantelpiece.

Confused by the sudden turn in topic, Daphne managed two words, "Excuse me?

"What did you wish for? Marriage to a rich man, have two sons and a family manor with enough wealth and resources to be a popular hostess? A good man who won't order you around or reproach you for failing to provide heirs? Or an adventurous foreigner to sweep you off your feet?"

She should feel affronted, Daphne has experienced it enough to know that this is the point where she leaves after a chilly glare to warn the person off but she doesn't. Instead she looks down into her teacup.

It would have come to a surprise but Daphne was fairly well-acquainted with the Astronomy professor during her years at Hogwarts. While most of the teachers were rather aloof and preferring to keep away from students outside teaching hours, Aurora Sinistra had embraced the role of house mother to the Slytherin girls. Daphne could fondly recall spending her Saturday afternoons having tea in the Astronomy Professor's suite while revising her work or just playing a round of Wizard's chess with the other Slytherin girls or even Aurora Sinistra herself.

In their fourth year, Daphne once confided with Tracey that she often regarded the young Professor as an older sister figure. It had been Aurora, and not her mother, who had talked Daphne through her first period – it came one evening, staining her skirt and leaving her stranded in the girls' toilet until Aurora had came to her rescue with some nifty spell work and a clean towel. In her fourth year, Aurora had sat her down, along with the other fourth year girls, to talk about boys and relationships while warning them about propriety. In her sixth year, it was Aurora that Daphne had turned to for wise words and soothing routines when her father had abandoned her and Astoria at Hogwarts. Aurora had been on leave during her seventh year but it was only today that Daphne realized it was because her favourite teacher had been pregnant during that period.

She was glad, however, for the friendly face that Aurora Sinistra provided. While Tracey would always be her best friend, Tracey did not understand the issues that Daphne, as a titled pureblood wife and heiress, constantly faced and unless Tracey married a member of Harry's court, she never would. With Aurora opposite her and a cup of tea in hand, it was almost like they were back in Hogwarts having their Saturday tea.

"I don't know. I always thought I would be the next Greengrass matriarch, perhaps marrying an impoverished pureblood who would take my family name as his own. My father made it obvious that I would not be up for bids before I even left for Hogwarts," Daphne trailed off.

"But you never thought you would become one of many wives," Aurora concluded.

"Would you?" Daphne asked challengingly.

Aurora Sinistra did not answer but her gaze strayed to the photographs on the large oak desk.

"When I started dating William, I hoped we could be friends after our romance fizzled out. After all, he worked all sorts of hours and I was cooped up at Hogwarts, I never thought it would last very long. Then the war broke out and we decided we wanted to be together even if the war might claim one or both of us."

"And you two went and got married," Daphne said a bit enviously.

Aurora nodded, "But it was a mistake."

Daphne's confusion must have been apparent because Aurora continued, "William and I chose to marry because we were afraid to die alone. Many couples, my parents included, made the same mistake during the Voldemort's first and second campaigns. As soon as the fighting was over, we were virtual strangers tied together by marriage and a child of our blood."

"In a way, I envy you. Your marriage may be unorthodox and unconventional, even to the staunchest of purebloods but that doesn't mean Lord Potter does not care about you."

Daphne was about to retort when Aurora leaned forward, ready to impart the real lesson that Aurora had probably intended for her.

"Lord Potter is an intensely private person. Despite having nine arranged marriage agreements and being the current leader of Britain's wizarding world, Harry has done everything possible to keep all of his wives safe and away from the public eye while trying to make the situation as comfortable and pleasant for all involved. It may look like his wives are solely being used as broodmares but he is not the shallow sort – you could give him dozens of children or none at all and he would still care deeply for you because he made a promise to love and cherish all of you."

Daphne huffed once more before she stood up and glared at her former Astronomy professor, "You are mistaken if you think I'm just another jealous shrew. This has nothing to do with Harry."

Aurora's face softened as she gestured for Daphne to sit down once more.

"I've known you for nearly nine years already Daphne. If you aren't in love with Harry now, you're on your way to it. It isn't necessarily a bad thing," Aurora shrugged, "But in your situation, I would caution you to guard against your heart. Harry will always have his nine wives and whatever mistresses or concubines he chooses to take; it will do you no good to hanker over his love and attention."

Daphne remained silent and fought the urge to roll her eyes at Aurora's dramatics. She liked Harry – he was her husband after all and he treated her way better than any of the men in her life did but Aurora's claims of her being in love with Harry was preposterous.

"Daphne, listen to me please. I'm not trying to stir up problems but as a Slytherin to another, I want to help you."

If it weren't for the earnest expression on Aurora's face and the fact that Daphne respected the older woman's opinion, Daphne would have stridden out of the room without a word. Even now, Daphne's posture was stiff and she gave a jerky nod for Aurora to continue.

"The last twenty odd years, our people have been more or less at war. With Lord Harry's triumph, the men and women who stood by him have gained a lot of prestige and leeway in their everyday dealings. Harry gets to marry nine wives without any arguments from his brides' families or the general population. George Weasley is granted a more than a courtesy Lordship despite being the fifth son. Nymphadora Tonks will be the Black Matriarch throughout Lord Black and Lord Harry's reigns as the Lord Black. Neville Longbottom will get the Lestrange and Carrow estates in its entirety. My husband as the next Lord of House Weasley has the right to have concubines."

Aurora laughed mirthlessly at that point. "Nobody tells you that the winner also gets to have their spoils of war and how it can change a person. I married William because I was certain that he would never give cause to embarrass me or tarnish our family's reputation. I was foolish and naïve to think so. William tried to pretend he wasn't flattered and he tried to keep his affairs a secret at the beginning. If it weren't for Harry's preference for discretion, I would be a laughing stock at court because my husband would be parading a new hussy every month."

The pain in Aurora's eyes was so raw that Daphne involuntarily moved to squeeze the older witch's hand in sympathy. Aurora took a moment or two to recollect before adopting a steely look that unnerved Daphne.

"I love my husband and I could never ever regret having Gloria but there are times where I wish I had done a bit more thinking and insisted on a proper courtship before getting married. Marriages for pureblood girls like us are usually made through cold contracts and even colder contacts. No doubt you lucked out with a good husband but please Daphne, if you valued your position and for the sake of your sanity, do not love Harry too deeply."

The older witch stared at Daphne imploringly. "Lord Harry is a good and kind man but at the end of day, you are just one of his multiple partners. Use your position to springboard your family or contacts up the social ladder while keeping Harry happy. By all means, use your feminine wiles and Slytherin cunning to secure your child's succession as the Potter heir but guard your heart and your position as jealously as the goblins guard their banking secrets, it is the only way to survive in this viperous nest of a court."

* * *

**As always, please review!**


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